Dangerous Liaisons - Sterek Teen Wolf
by BekkaChaos
Summary: A little smutty! Be warned. This is a story about Stiles being a trigger for Derek, he can't stay away, or at least he's been able to keep his distance until now. A little bit of Scisaac in here too!
1. Chapter 1

Teen Wolf – _Sterek – __**Dangerous Liaisons**_

_Stiles – _

I am so sick of all this werewolf-kanima shit.

Seriously, I mean what the hell? It's hard enough being a damn teenager without all of this paranormal crap. I know I'm just a human and Scott's the one with the actual problems but I just spent way, way too much time holding Derek Hale up in the school swimming pool to care.

Sometimes I think they forget that I have feelings too, you know, the human that gets dragged into crazy werewolf situations that have totally nothing to do with him. I mean yeah, it's freaking awesome sometimes but right now, it's not so much my thing.

I stretched out in my computer chair after getting back from the school. My whole body ached from trying to stay afloat and avoid almost certain death from some weird snake-lizard creature. I kicked off my shoes which were still a little damp and stretched my toes.

I need a god-damn shower.

The hot water felt amazing running down over my body, like I could finally relax a bit. I soaped myself up and cleaned off that werewolf smell. Not just werewolf smell, wet werewolf. That is not pretty.

I turned off the water and wrapped a towel around my waist before walking out of the steam filled bathroom. I yawned a little as I walked back into my room and shut the door behind me. As I stretched my arms out in front of me I saw a shadow on the floor that didn't belong. I turned my head and almost fell on the floor with the shock of seeing Derek standing by the dresser.

"Holy-! What the hell Derek?" I leapt away and rubbed my eyes.

He looked me up and down and I became increasingly aware that I was naked. He gave me a bemused look and I held on tighter to my towel.

"I… uh why- what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Did you talk to Scott?" He said.

"About what? Look, haven't you spent enough time with me today?" I said.

He smirked. "Don't flatter yourself there, I need to see Scott."

"So go and break into his house, why is it always here? Why is it always me?" I muttered the last part to myself.

"He's not at home and I'm not stupid enough to hover around the Argent's garden looking for him. I know _he_ is." Derek rolled his eyes a little.

I sighed. "Yeah he's a bit of a loose cannon when it comes to Alison."

Derek shook his head a little, his lips never moving from their thin line. He had his hands in his jeans pockets and a leather jacket covering his damp shirt. I felt a shiver run over me and looked over at the open window.

"Seriously? Do I need to start locking my windows to avoid late night visits from werewolves?" I asked and this time his lips twitched into a smile.

"You could, but I don't think you will."

"What does that even mean?" I asked.

"You ask too many questions."

"Well no one ever answers me!" I threw my hands up and my towel slipped a little causing me to grasp at it frantically.

Derek just laughed.

"Don't you have a pack to go play with?"

"And here I was thinking you were enjoying my company." He walked over to me and held his face close to mine. "If you get hold of Scott, tell him I'm looking for him." His eyes dropped for a moment before looking me in the eyes again. "By the way your towel is starting to slip again."

I turned my face away and held it far tighter as he climbed out of my window and bounded off into the night.

Well that was pretty weird. Why does he always have to come to me when he's looking for Scott? I have enough trouble finding him as it is.

And why was he so… chilled? It's not very Derek-like. Hmm, maybe he's right. I do ask a lot of questions.

Alright, I'll try to stop that.

For some weird reason I just couldn't get Derek out of my head. There was just something about tonight that made him stick in there. It actually felt really good to be the one to save him for once.

Usually I'm the god-damn damsel in distress, which _sucks_ by the way.

I sighed and walked over to my bed and sat down, running my hand over my head and lying back down. I tossed my towel to the floor and climbed under my bed covers. As I closed my eyes, really needing to sleep I realised that Derek was still hanging around in my head.

My eyes slowly began to get tired and eventually I drifted to sleep.

"Stiles…"

I turned over, determined to stay asleep.

"Stiles…" The voice got louder and more insistent. "_Stiles!"_

I groaned and rolled back over. "What?" I opened my eyes to see Derek standing above me and I flinched. "Holy crap! Derek!"

"Yes?" He said.

"What… you're in my room and you woke me up so what do you want?" I said.

"You don't know?"

I didn't say anything. I knew what I wanted but was that what he wanted too?

He grinned wickedly and his eyes glowed red. I swallowed hard and said nothing as he pulled his jacket off his shoulders and dropped it to the floor. He swooped in close as I sat up a little. He held his body over mine and as he drew his face in close I felt him breath in deeply, taking in my scent. He let out a growling sound that sent shivers down my spine in a way that could have been out of fear but I'm almost certain that it was something else.

I closed my eyes and took a few heavy breaths and then it happened; I startled myself awake.

"What the _fuck_?" I said to myself.

This was not normal. I can't believe that I just had a dream about Derek… like _that_.

The next day at school I must have looked about as crappy as I felt because I didn't get any sleep after that dream. Maybe it was because I didn't want to have that dream again or maybe it was the other… pressing matter.

I don't want to talk about it.

"What happened to you last night?" I spun around to see Scott looking at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Don't you start, you're the one who gets away and hides out with your hunter girlfriend and in the meantime I get Derek hunting _me_ down because he's looking for you." I grumbled.

"Why was he looking for me?"

"I don't know!"

"Well why didn't you ask?"

"I did but he's a psycho and didn't tell me why." I said.

"Who's a psycho?" We both turned to see Derek standing behind us and I looked away, my cheeks flushing a little as I remembered my dream.

Get out, get out, get _out_.

I saw him eye me suspiciously but he usually looked at me like that so it wasn't that odd.

"Why do you have to bother Stiles all the time? If you want to talk to me then come after me." Scott said and a tried to subtly turn even further away but Derek just narrowed his eyes at me and then tilted his head towards Scott.

"Well if you don't want me to bother him to get to you then maybe you should stay away from the Argent house. I'm not cleaning up your body when he catches you there." Derek said.

Scott rolled his eyes and pulled his bag up onto his shoulder. "Come on Stiles." He glared at Derek and started to walk away.

I scratched my head and avoided his eyes as I started to follow Scott.

"What's wrong with you?" He said and I stopped.

"What, me? No, nothing." I said.

He raised an eyebrow and grinned arrogantly. "You're being stranger than usual."

I bumbled around with my words a little and heard the bell ring for class and pointed towards school before scampering off to science class.

That afternoon I drove Scott to the woods to meet with Alison, I told him he could wolf it back to his place after. I think I made a bit of a fool of myself earlier in front of Derek, why can't I just play it cool? It was just a stupid dream.

I shut the door of my jeep outside my house, my dad was out at the station still, he probably had a late shift tonight, what with all the crap going on around here.

I walked up to my bedroom and threw my bag on the floor. As I went to sit down in my computer chair but as I turned I caught a glimpse of someone in the corner of my room and slipped off the edge of the chair and onto the floor.

"Derek!" I said as I climbed back up and he shook his head at me. "Again really?"

He laughed and folded his arms.

"Or is this another dream?" I muttered.

"_Another_ dream?" He raised an eyebrow with amusement and I opened my eyes wide. "You realise I can hear you from here."

"I… Well yeah, obviously." I said.

"So you thought that what you just said was the best thing to say?"

I shrugged and shook my head around, turning my gaze away from him. God this was awkward, why is he even here? I looked back up at him to ask him just that and he was gone.

What the-?

"So what were you dreaming about Stiles?" I leapt forward as I felt his hot breath on my ear.

I rubbed my neck where I had felt him whisper to me and gave him a look. "What are you doing?" I asked.

He grinned wickedly and stepped forward a little. My heart pounded and I wasn't sure why. Was I scared or was it something else entirely. He walked towards me and I took steps back until I hit the wall. I looked back to confirm that yes, I was stuck and he was still advancing.

Is it wrong that a part of me was aching for him to keep going? I won't tell you which part of me it was.

He stopped only inches from me and his eyes grazed me up and down. I swallowed hard.

"You can't hide it Stiles, I can smell it on you." He growled.

"I… don't know what you mean." Can he smell lies too?

I hope not.

He grinned and pressed me against the wall with one hand, his claws beginning to extend. He dragged it down over my chest and I think I may have stopped breathing. I closed my eyes tightly and his breath was bearing down on my neck, beads of sweat forming on my forehead. His breath was rasping, like a low growl and his claws were only just grazing my skin as his hand slipped under my shirt and back up over my stomach.

My breathing was ragged and my mouth was parted as he sent shivers down my spine. What the hell was going on with me?

"Do you feel that?" He said.

"Um yeah… wait what?" I said, turning my head to look at him, his eyes so close to mine that I could see myself in them.

"Your heart is racing."

"Yeah I have… allergies or something, I don't know I think it's the weather for it-"

"Stiles?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up." He said with a shake of his head.

I went to speak but he gave me such a menacing glare that I shut my mouth instantly.

He gazed into my eyes and I swallowed hard again. He leant in towards me a little before he looked up and threw me across the room.

"Ow what the- Dad!" I was leaning against my desk as my father opened the door.

I think he may have called out as he did but I was too busy being thrown painfully into a desk to notice.

"You alright there Stiles?" He asked with a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah, never better, what's up?" My eyes darted to Derek standing just behind the door.

My dad looked a little confused but that was pretty much the way he always looked at me. "Just seeing if you were going to be playing in the game this weekend?"

"I didn't know you were home… and I'll probably be, on the bench, again, as usual."

"I just had to collect some files and I saw your Jeep so I thought I'd come up and ask. Clearly this was a bad time." He raised his eyebrows and supressed an awkward smile. "I should be in for dinner tomorrow, but I have a late night tonight."

"Yeah, sure, cool."

"I'll just leave you to- whatever it was you were doing." He backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Yeah, alright, night dad." I said, exhaling for the first time since he had come in. "He was a little weird don't you think?" I asked casually and Derek shook his head. "What?"

He walked over coolly and stood in front of me. "Maybe it was because of this." He reached out and cupped his hand to the bulge in my jeans and my jaw dropped.

"Uh…" That was all I could manage.

"But I don't think he expected that there was anyone else here." He grinned and I shot him a glare.

"Yeah, thanks for that." He laughed before he threw me back onto my bed.

He descended on me, standing over me and waiting for me to make room. I just looked up at him, so strong and rugged. And he knew exactly what he was doing to me. I scoot backwards on the bed and he knelt over me.

I don't know why I let him keep going but I couldn't stop this feeling. I have never felt like this with someone before.

He pulled at my shirt and I sat up so he could pull it over my head. He forced me back down and his lips finally made contact with my skin. The scratchy stubble on his chin skimming my chest as he kissed my collarbone and his hand ran back and forth over my stomach.

"Did you really come here because you wanted to see Scott?" I asked shakily.

He looked up at me with a scowl before he went back to kissing down my chest.

"I guess that means you're not a big talker."

"Stiles…" He said as his lips brushed my ribs.

"I think I probably do too much talking."

"Stiles…" He said with annoyance in his voice as he licked just above my navel.

"So how long have you known that you were-"

"Stiles!" He growled and let his face hover over mine with a glowering look. "If you don't shut up… I'm going to make you."

"How would you-" I probably should have taken the hints earlier but in a way I'm glad I didn't.

He roughly pressed his lips into mine and opened his mouth as I did just the same. His tongue slipped behind my teeth and he reached his hand up to hold my face tightly. As he moved his lips with mine in a hot mess of tongues he put his leg between my thighs and ground his hips against mine.

I could feel a solid heat pressed against me and a groan escaped my lips as he thrust in slow strokes. He pulled his lips from mine and stared down hungrily before he pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the ground. He forced my head to the side as he kissed my neck and I felt my hands shaking as I struggled to think of what to do with them.

"Tell me you want me." Derek growled, his eyes starting to glow red.

He looked up at me, his hips still grinding softly. I just sort of gaped at him and he smiled.

"Don't you know how to play the game Stiles?" He grinned as he pulled himself off of me and turned me over so he could kiss his way down my back.

Shivers engulfed me and I wasn't sure that I could say anything even if I wanted to but I managed to get something out.

"You… you told me to shut up." I felt him smile as he drew the skin of my back into his mouth and grazed his – thankfully – human teeth over it.

My hands gripped the sheets tightly. "Don't tell me you're new to this?"

I scoffed a little. "No." I said without much conviction.

I felt him stop and panted a little.

"Stiles… are you saying that  
you're a virgin?" He asked and I screwed up my face and shrugged a little.

"Not… I mean well technically…" I heard him sigh and felt him get up and off the bed.

I rolled over and saw him pull his shirt back on.

"Wait, what? Where are you going?" I said, not wanting him to leave.

He didn't answer. He just pushed the window open more and climbed out.

"Wait, Derek!" I sat up and looked out my window as he jumped off the roof and started walking away.

Why the hell would he do that? I didn't even know I wanted him until he made me feel it so what the hell was his problem? He couldn't just throw himself out there and then leave, I feel like an idiot.

"I want you." I said to myself.

I really did. I wanted to be with Derek, but for some reason he was just gone.

_Derek – _

"_I want you_." I clenched my teeth as I heard his voice echo in my head.

I almost stopped, I almost turned back but I wasn't about to do it. I didn't want to take something from him that I had forced on him. Who said that this was what he really wanted? I know he said that he wanted me once he thought I was out of earshot but that doesn't mean that he really meant it. Idiot, I already mentioned my hearing once today.

But for some reason his idiocy was charming.

I can't explain my attraction for Stiles, it's more frustrating than it is anything else.

It's the wolf in me, there' something about him that draws me in. Maybe it's the way he stands up to me with that smart mouth of his.

I can't help who I am, who I was born, but I didn't give him a choice on this and he deserves one. I walked back to my house with my fists clenched to try and control myself.

That's another thing; even if he made the choice I would have to be so careful because I won't make him into what I am. It's hard when my desire crosses into something else. Anger and lust were so close that it was hard to separate them sometimes.

Maybe that's where this started. Stiles could make me so angry and one day I just looked at him and then… I knew that I wanted to have him.

Taking what I wanted was one thing; taking his virginity was another, especially when he had clearly never thought of himself in this way.

It's a strange feeling, when you just know that you want someone. It's a werewolf thing. It's all about scent. There are some people who just give off pheromones that we find attractive, irresistible. It doesn't always stay the same and sometimes it doesn't start off that way but all I know is that being around them makes it harder to keep in control of that side of you.

You always have the scents surrounding you and it's easy enough to tune them out, unless it's someone who triggers you. That's what Stiles does for me. Being a werewolf makes it hard to be definitively straight or gay. We see people as people, or smell them, and physical attraction comes second. Resisting a trigger is harder than you would think.

I want him and I feel that in every part of my body, it's like an instinct. All I have to do is wait for that feeling to go away. In my experience, waiting it out is the only way to get rid of the feeling. Sometimes people never stop feeling it for one person, and then it's just easier to move.

I reached my house and walked up the front stairs. When I opened the door Erica and Boyd were hanging about in what used to be the living room.

"Are the two of you still here?" I said roughly.

"Are you still pining for Scott's little side-kick?" Erica asked in a not so sweet way.

I glared at her and she gave me a satisfied smile.

"Leave him alone." Boyd said.

I wasn't about to jump up and thank his for defending me, in all honesty I didn't care what she said to me. It's just amusing to watch her trying to get under my skin the way I know I can to her.

"I just think it's a real waste, you know? Someone like you… going after _him_." Erica said.

"Well, that's what happens. It's not like I have any control over it." I said.

"You don't have to want him." She said.

"He's a trigger for me, so like I said, I don't have any control over it." I said, slightly annoyed.

"What's a trigger?" Boyd asked.

"A trigger is someone who has an irresistible scent, it's not the same for everyone and it doesn't always last. You feel like you have no control when you're near them. Everything that could trigger the transformation is just bubbling under the surface. It's passion, lust, anger… all rolled into one and projected into a physical form. Like I said, they call it a trigger for a reason." I explained.

I suppose I would have to explain all of this stuff to them one day. My fault for choosing a bunch of teenagers I suppose.

"So, what? You imprinted on Stiles?" Erica said ignorantly.

That one got on my nerves a little.

"This isn't Twilight and you're no Bella. Weren't you listening? I said it doesn't always last and it's not like a romantic bond, it's a one way obsession based on scent. The trigger appeals to everything that makes up your wolf side and that's why it's so hard to keep control when you're around them, that's why they're called _triggers_."

"So you expect me to believe that?" I turned to Erica and growled.

She looked away, knowing that I had the authority over her.

"What's going on?" Isaac walked down the stairs and looked over at us.

I groaned. "Don't you all have homes to go to?"

"No." Said Isaac as he walked past me and over to where Boyd was standing. "So what's going on down here?"

"We're talking about his creepy obsession with Stiles." Erica muttered.

I let out a loud growl in her direction and she flinched away from me.

"He called it a trigger, like a scent based attraction to someone." Boyd clarified.

Isaac nodded to himself. "Like, an irresistible urge?" he asked.

I looked up at him. "Yeah, pretty much."

"And it makes the transformation happen?" He asked.

"You know what he means?" Boyd asked.

"I think so. There's this girl, a freshman, every time I see her I just… I don't know, I'm just drawn to her. I got too close to her once and ended up transforming in the locker room. I just, couldn't control it." He said.

All three of them looked up at me. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"So how do I stop it? I can't keep going through that at school. I thought it was just some weird coincidence." Isaac asked.

"You avoid her and you wait it out. Or you can act on it, but if she's human you'll have to be really careful. A mixture of all those emotions, you could kill her." I said.

"I was afraid of that." He sighed. "So that's what it's like for you with Stiles?"

I nodded. "It's a scent thing, doesn't matter who it is. My advice for you; don't lose your control. Stay away from her. You're new to this and the first time is the hardest."

"It happens more than once?"

"I just explained all of this. Get one of them to tell you." I said.

Boyd told him all about it, reciting back what I had said almost word for word.

"How long have you known that Stiles was a trigger?" He asked.

"I don't know, like a month or two? Why do you want to know?" I have known about it for quite a while.

It's not like it's something that you can put to the back of your mind. I've just been able to stay away from him for most of the time, or hold back my urges. Tonight was a mistake and I knew that if I hadn't just walked away I could have really hurt him, done something I regret. Even if he did want me, I couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't turn and lose control.

I didn't want to give him the bite because I knew that he didn't want it, but being in that situation with him – I would have taken him and torn him to pieces if I wasn't careful.

"_Derek!_" I looked up as I heard the voice in the distance.

"Looks like the little lost puppy followed you home." Erica grinned.

I walked over to her and looked down at her. "You can push me as much as you want, so long as you know that I'll beat you in everything you try."

She pouted and folded her arms but didn't say anything else.

"He's still yelling out there." Isaac said.

"I can hear him." I said.

I could smell him too. His scent filled my nose and engulfed my entire body. My heartbeat got faster and I could feel my skin prickling as he triggered the uncontrollable side of me.

"Do you want me to send him home?" Boyd asked.

I rolled my eyes. "I can deal with it myself. I'm a little better at controlling this than you are. I've done it before." I muttered as I headed out the door.

What the hell was he doing here? I could feel the anger bubbling under the surface but I knew I had to keep it in check while I got rid of him.

"Derek!" I was going to kill him.

I caught sight of him and ran over, shoving him up against a tree.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I growled.

"Oh hey Stiles, sorry I just ran out of your house after-"

"You're an idiot do you know that?" I had his shirt balled up in my hand and I pressed him harder against the tree.

His scent was completely intoxicating me now. I shouldn't be anywhere near him, I shouldn't have come outside.

"Well yeah but that's not the point." He said.

"Go home Stiles." I shoved him and let go, taking a few steps back but my feet wouldn't let me leave.

"Why? So you can break into my room again?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "Not saying I minded really, I mean I never thought about it before but-"

"Stiles!" I snarled.

"Yeah I know; shut up." He rolled his eyes and I ran my tongue over my bottom lip. "Look if you're worried that I'm… inexperienced or whatever then to tell you the truth you're a bit of a douche."

I shook my head and tried not to laugh.

"What? You left right after that." He said.

"Stiles, I could kill you." I said.

"Yeah I know, so could the flu." I raised an eyebrow and he shrugged.

I took a step closer and saw him swallow. His heart pounded faster and his forehead was shiny.

"Are you saying that I'm like the flu?"

"In the way that you could kill me, but I'd rather have you than the flu. I mean the flu makes you all shaky and sore."

I grinned. "So would I."

He nodded a little to himself and looked away.

God damn it, why did I come out here? Why did he have to have such a big mouth that he used before he thought it through? I stepped even closer to him until I almost had my chest pressed against his.

I took a deep breath in, my control slipping further and further out of my grasp. "I'm not good for you Stiles." I said.

"Would you stop being such a sour-wolf?" He said.

I jabbed him with my finger and glowered at him. "_Don't_ call me that."

"What you going to do?" He pushed.

Erica couldn't get under my skin but somehow Stiles knew how to. I balled his shirt up in my fist again and pressed my lips into his.

I was on fire. My entire body was ablaze and I knew that I had made a mistake. He was a trigger and I had broken my rule. I had never let a trigger get too close to me and by now, after having left him once I knew I wouldn't be able to do it again.

I licked his top lip with my tongue and took his face in my hand. As his tongue slipped into my mouth I growled low in my throat and kissed him harder. The finger I jabbed him with was now a firm palm against his chest, holding him down. I dragged it down over his chest and let it find its way under his shirt.

His body was warm but his lips were cold. I couldn't get enough of him, every kiss, every touch… it wasn't enough of him for me.

I tore my lips from him and rested my head against him, panting and using every inch of my self control not to turn. I kept my eyes closed until I knew I was in no danger of transforming in front of him. As I opened them I saw that he was looking up at me in a way that was both sure of himself and vulnerable. He wouldn't have come out here if he didn't mean what he said.

I grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back towards the house. "Come with me." I said, not really giving him an option.

He willingly followed but I didn't let go of him. As I dragged him up the steps and into the house the three newbies stared at me and Stiles made an awkward waving motion with his hand.

"Don't you all have somewhere else to be?" I said irritably.

"I do now." Erica rolled her eyes and got up to leave, Boyd followed her.

As Isaac passed us he smiled weakly. "Be careful." I glared at him and he backed away. "Just saying, you're the one who isn't taking his own advice."

When they left I started dragging Stiles upstairs again. My bedroom has long since been repaired since the fire and when I reached the door I threw him in. He stumbled a little in the way he always does and I pulled my jacket off my shoulders. He slowly began to take off his outer shirt but it wasn't fast enough.

I grabbed it and tore it off before reaching down and pulling his shirt over his head, doing the same to mine. He was breathing heavily and I wasn't going to let myself lose it. I reached down to his belt and unbuckled it quickly, pulling it smoothly out of the loops.

"You look like you've done that before." He mumbled and he undid his buttons and started to slide his jeans to the floor.

I glared at him before shoving him back onto the bed and removing my own jeans. I clambered over him and pressed my hips firmly into his, that part of him was definitely not cold. His skin felt so soft against mine, it sent sparks through me. I kissed him, my tongue wrestling his in a torrid mess that left me absolutely throbbing. His naïve hands ran down my sides and over my ass until they gripped my thighs, pulling me into him.

My lips traced his chin and while I still had my human teeth I gently bit down on the soft flesh of his neck. I felt his fingers grip me tighter as I sucked on his bare skin, leaving a mark that was more of a bruise than anything else. I put my hands either side of him on the bed, my claws extending from my fingertips. I pulled away from him to breath, willing myself to stay human.

Stiles made it almost impossible as one of his hands reached around and cupped my shaft with a slight squeeze.

I looked down into his eyes and I could see the reflection of the red glow from mine. I grabbed his wrist roughly and tore it away, pinning it to the bed. With my other hand I ripped away his boxers, literally. My claws would not retract after his little stunt.

I took him carefully in my hand and his eyes rolled back as I caressed him. I kissed down his stomach and I heard him moan a few odd words before I wrapped my tongue around him. He moaned loudly as I sucked his tip and then drew him in deeper, my whole body tingled from the sensation of it.

I don't know why I never did this with a trigger before, it was so much better than with anyone else, and there was something different about Stiles. It felt like more than just a trigger. How was I ever going to stay away from him now?

_Stiles _–

"_Holy_…" I breathed as Derek went down on me.

I have never felt anything like it before. He was amazing, I was barely worried about him growing massive canines and… well you get it. All I was thinking was … wow.

He pulled away and brought his face in close to mine. His eyes were still glowing and I could see him trying not to touch me with his clawed hands.

"Turn over." He growled in a voice that wasn't quite his.

I didn't care that he was half shifting, right now that was so far from my care list. I rolled over and he kissed and licked my shoulder blades. I felt him pull back and shift his weight as he removed his boxers and pressed his bare hips against me. He pulled my hips back to meet him and I knelt on all fours as he dragged his claws gently down my back.

I shivered.

How could I not have realised that this is something that I want? How could it not be?

I felt him reach for something and put it on, I closed my eyes. He grabbed my leg and held onto it almost painfully before he leant over and whispered to me.

"Just take what I give you, don't try anything or I may rip your throat out."

"Is that supposed to happen?"

I heard him laugh. "Not if you want to do it again."

"Well then I'll just do what you say." I said.

He kissed my shoulder and I panted a little before grunting as he slowly entered me.

He exhaled with a sound that was mixed between pleasure and pain as he very slowly thrust himself in and out.

It hurt at first but it didn't take long before my body had warmed up to his. He began to move faster, thrusting a little harder each time. His grip on my shoulder and hip tightened painfully but I tried not to focus on that.

There were far more enjoyable things being done to me. I balled my fists up as I gripped the sheets and he moaned with every stroke, making me do the same. I felt him go quicker and the groaning he was making grew shallower and deeper. As he reached his climax he let out a growl that made my hair stand on end, or maybe that was the feel of him coming inside me.

He pulled out and I collapsed onto my chest as he leapt back. As I turned to look at him I saw that he had slumped back against the far wall, his face now contorted from his transformation. As he panted I could see his strong jaw and sharp teeth resembling more of an animal than a man.

I sat up and rested against the headboard, not sure which mindset he was in now. I watched him as he got up shakily and walked over to the bed, climbing in beside me. He stared at me with his red eyes and I swallowed hard. He looked into my eyes and I could hear him slow his breathing until his face began to change back to human.

We stared at one another for a moment before he leant in and kissed me, softer this time, but still every bit as passionately. His eyes looked down to my shoulder and sighed. His fingers had already left bruises on my skin and there were four tiny puncture marks from his claws.

"That's not going to turn me, right?" I asked.

"Most likely not, they're not deep enough." He said, inspecting my hips for more bruising, sure enough, it was there.

He sighed.

"I can't do this again." He groaned, a furrow deep in his brow.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Would you look at yourself? You're lucky I didn't break something." He looked down at my neck and sighed again. "By the way that's going to last for a while."

I put a hand to the spot where he had bitten me and winced, it was tender and sore. I'm sure there was going to be an even more obvious mark there than on my shoulder.

He looked away and his jaw jutted out. I leant up and kissed his neck and he shoved me down with a lightning fast reflex.

"What did I just say?" He said.

"You said you can't, you didn't say anything about me." I shrugged a little and it took him a while before he smiled.

"God, I hate you." He said as he rolled me over and began kissing me all over again.

It was pretty late by the time I left Derek's place, he came with me in my car, I'm not totally sure why. He said something about me being a trigger but I uh… wasn't really listening.

We sat in silence in the car as I drove home, Derek either staring out the window or at me. It was slightly odd but I didn't mind.

"So…" I said, trying to break the silence.

He just stared over at me.

"So am I like your boyfriend now?" I grinned at him, knowing that it would bug him.

He shot me a death glare and rolled his eyes. "Don't ever call me that."

"So you know I don't really care about the bruises and stuff. I mean this might be a bit hard to hide," I pointed to my neck, "but I don't really mind it."

"When I tear out your throat or rip parts of you to shreds you might have something different to say." He said.

"Well, I probably won't be saying anything if you rip my throat out. And how many times can you threaten to rip me open before I figure out that you're bluffing?"

He leant over and whispered in my ear. "It's not a bluff it's a gamble I take." When he took my earlobe into his mouth I swerved a little but managed to stay on the road.

He rubbed his hand up my thigh and I exhaled shakily. "Hey look there's my house."

I pulled into the driveway and Derek pulled away from me as we got out of the car. He walked with me up the steps and we stopped on my porch.

"Look I don't really know what's going on here but-"

He grabbed my face with his and kissed me. He slipped one hand to my waist and pulled me into him. This kiss was softer, tenderer than the others. I have to say, I liked it a lot.

I leapt back from him as the door opened and my father came out with an eyebrow raised. Derek looked pretty calm but I was a little jittery.

"Dad, hey, I was just-"

"Stiles, relax." He said, putting his hands up.

"Good to see you Sheriff." Derek said before he gave me a smile and began walking away.

"Goodnight Mr Hale." My father watched him until he hit the path and then turned to me. "You coming in?"

I slunk past him and tried to escape to my room but he grabbed my arm. "Okay dad, listen, before you say anything I-"

"Stiles, you don't need to explain yourself to me. If you want to stand around on the porch kissing boys like Derek Hale then go for it… well, you know what I mean." He nodded understandingly.

"Wait, you're not mad or shocked or anything?"

"Not really." He shrugged. "What does shock me is who you were out there with."

I sighed. "Yeah, I know Derek is a bit…"

"I mean I thought maybe you could be… you know… but I didn't think you had it in you to get a guy like that." He actually looked… proud.

"Thanks dad." I rolled my eyes and he gave me a pat on the shoulder.

"You'll always be my son." I returned his gesture and turned to go upstairs. "Oh and Stiles?" I turned around and looked back expectantly. "All of the things I told you back when you were fourteen… that still applies, okay?"

I know my cheeks flushed but I tried to play it cool. "Do you really think that-" he pointed to his neck and I put my hand over the bruise. "Right. Night dad." I rushed up the stairs; I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

"Goodnight Stiles."

I got to my room and closed the door behind me. God that was embarrassing.

"At least you have his approval." I jumped about a mile as I turned to see Derek standing by the dresser… _again_.

"Are you _always_ here?" I asked and he smiled.

"I can be."

"Thanks for warning me that he was coming by the way." I grumbled.

He walked over to me and kissed me.

"Oh yeah, that makes it better." I said and he laughed again.

I walked over to my desk and leant on it.

"Do you want me to stay?" He asked.

"Obviously." I said. "Oh, and one more thing?" I said without turning around.

"Yeah?" The look on his face was priceless when I turned around and whacked him on the nose with a magazine.

"What the hell?" He growled.

"You know what that was for." I said, hiding my smile.

It took him a moment but he grinned, his red eyes glowing as he grabbed me and threw me onto my bed.

This was probably going to be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

Two Weeks Later…

Stiles –

I let out a loud grunt as Derek threw me roughly against the wall. His hot tongue ravished my neck as one hand pinned down my arm and the other worked magic on the bulge in my boxer shorts. He let a low growl emit from his throat and I rolled my eyes back in my head.

The bare skin of his chest and his taut muscles pressed against my back as my breathing grew even shallower. He spun me around and grinded into my hips with his. My mouth hung open as his heated breath fanned my face and his erection made itself known on my thigh.

"Not so loud… my dad is downstairs and… uhhn… I'm pretty sure he can hear you throwing me around up here…" I groaned as he nipped at my skin.

"And I'm pretty sure he already knows what's going on." He murmured into me and he grabbed my boxers with his hands.

I reached down quickly and wrapped my hand around his wrist. "Can you _not_ tear these ones off me? I'm running quite low thanks to you."

He laughed a little and I shivered as he slipped his fingers into my boxers and pulled them down over my legs until I could step out of them.

"Get in bed." He said.

He says stuff like that more for show than anything else; he always drags me there anyway. He shoved me down and I lay back looking at that amazing body while he stared fiercely down at me, never breaking eye contact as he pulled his own underwear off.

I may have broken eye contact once or twice. Definitely twice.

He held his body over mine and I took his head in my hands as he kissed me. It didn't take him long to roll me over, his eyes starting to glow red. He grabbed my hip in his hand and pulled me up to him. I winced when his fingers touched old bruises, it's not like he can help it, he's a pretty decent amount stronger than me.

It was only for a second anyway because when he entered me I forgot all about the little bruise on my hip. I balled up the sheets in my hands and groaned loudly as he continued to thrust himself inside me. He switched between quick strokes and slow, deep ones while I could feel my arms shaking.

I felt a sharp pain on my thigh and knew that his control was slipping. He slowed down and kissed me just under my ear. I turned my head into him and he rested his cheek into mine, both of us damp from sweat.

I felt his wolf-burns grazing my cheek as they grew longer.

"Derek…" I whispered.

He let out an audible moan and kissed my cheek, the hair on his face slowly receding.

His breathing started to get sharper and he grunted into my ear, making shivers run all through my body before I felt him release.

I bit down on my lip as his claws broke through the skin on my shoulder before he relaxed and rolled onto his back, panting manically. I did the same, exhaling heavily.

He's gotten much better at controlling his wolf side lately. The first few times he shifted towards the end, now, I can usually pull him back. I figured that out early on.

I knew what came next. He would lie here with me until we had recovered from our session and then he would leave. He never stays.

That was the one crappy part about sleeping with Derek, there was never any sleep, never anything more than just sex and discreet flirting when we were in public. I'm not about to go telling him that I want more from him, I'm not crazy.

He's said it enough; I'm just his trigger.

And there is no way in _hell_ that I am turning into Scott. He is so much worse now that Alison is all hunter-crazy. Not to mention that Jackson is back in town.

After Matt died he disappeared and according to Isaac, he's back and playing in tomorrow night's game. My mind was wandering all over the place and I almost missed Derek getting up and pulling on his jeans.

"You don't want to stay?" I asked, trying to sound like I was joking but I was probably being transparent.

"I can't stay Stiles. How many times do you want me to say it?" he said as he looked around for his shirt.

"You can borrow one of mine." I said. He just turned and raised an eyebrow at me. "Not even a little smile?"

He smiled very, very sarcastically before he found his shirt and walked towards the window.

"Hey wait, uh…" I said, rubbing my hand back over my head.

He turned around to look at me and I coughed a little nervously.

"Will you come to the game tomorrow night?" I said.

He looked away for a moment before looking back at me with a straight face. "No."

My heart sunk a little. "Well why not?"

"Stiles I'm not coming to your lacrosse game. Besides, you never play anyway." He opened the window and straddled the frame while he finished our semi-conversation.

"So? I might play this time. And I heard that Jackson might be playing. You could make sure nothing bad happens." I offered.

"I can't Stiles, I have other things to do that are more important."

"Like what?"

"It's best if you don't know."

"Secret werewolf business, I get it." So I didn't really get it, and it pissed me off a little but maybe that was just because he refused to come to the game.

It's just lacrosse. One game, is that too much to ask when he barges in here every night? I use the term barges lightly because I'm not denying the fact that I leave my window open on purpose and have sprung for a lock on my door. Yeah, I'm pretty transparent but Derek? That man is a closed book… inside a locked safe, surrounded by- you know what I think that paints the picture pretty well.

"Just stay out of it Stiles, you know you can't protect yourself." He said.

"Yeah I know, I'm always the god-damned damsel in distress." I'm what seems like the only human in the whole of Beacon Hills. In the high school especially.

"Would you just agree to be careful, for once?" He said.

"What? And let you get killed, hardly." I waved my hand and thought I may have seen the hint of a smile breach his lips.

He climbed back in and kissed me in a way that kind of took me by surprise. Not to mention it shut me up.

Damn it Derek.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said before leaving my room in a second.

Yeah, here, in my room, after the game. I know the last few weeks have been busy dealing with all this crazy werewolf stuff and Derek isn't your average guy, but this whole thing has been sneaking around and late night visits.

Is it so wrong for me to maybe kind of want something more? Scott doesn't know about us, no one does really. The only ones who know are Derek's pack and that's because he can't really keep the whole trigger thing from them. Boyd kind of stays out of it and Erica is a nasty snide bitch, I don't know if she's jealous that Derek is taken or that I fell for his advances and not hers. Either way it's just plain annoying. Isaac is the most understanding of them all. We've actually become closer since this whole things started up, I guess you could say we were sort of friends. He gets the whole trigger thing, apparently there is someone at school that he feels that way about.

I got up and headed to the shower. I know I was just going to get all sweaty and gross at lacrosse but I was sweaty and gross now so I figured I had better clean up a little. It's a pretty important game. Derek was right though, I never play.

Still.

When I go to the field Scott was already there – with Isaac. I thought Isaac disappeared after that whole thing with Matt. Oh god that probably meant something bad. Really bad.

They were in the middle of some serious wolf-y chat so I figured I would let them handle it. I gathered with the rest of the team, Scott was on the bench tonight because Gerard convinced the coach that he couldn't play with his bad grades. That was definitely a bad thing considering how menacing Jackson was looking.

I looked over to the bleachers to see my dad sitting there with Scott's mum. I haven't told anyone, but seeing Matt hurt him and knowing that I was completely powerless has really had an impact on me. I was just… there, watching. I felt so helpless. There I was, the damsel in distress while everyone else tried to save the day.

And now it's only going to get worse. I can't watch my dad get hurt again, he's all I have. I sat next to Scott and tried to explain to him what was going on for me but there was one thing that I just couldn't say, not right now, not with tonight turning out to be problematic.

I couldn't tell him about Derek, and it's not like Derek cared enough to let me talk it out with him. I should never have followed him that night. I knew that he didn't want anything more than sex and in that moment I thought I could handle it.

I didn't think that I would actually grow attached to the emotionally unavailable sour-wolf. But I did.

I looked around but I didn't see him, and I wasn't going to. He made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to be here. I knew that I probably wouldn't play but still, if he cared at all he would make an effort. Hell, my dad does and he _knows _that I've never actually played a game on this team.

If we make it through tonight I'm going to have to break it off. What choice do I have?

As I was talking to Scott about how hopeless it all seems the coach came up behind us.

"Put on your helmet and get out there, you're in for Greenburg." For a second I thought he was talking to Scott but then it clicked.

"I'm playing? On the field? With the team?!"

"Yes. Unless you'd rather… play with yourself."

"I already did that today… twice." I shrugged and the coach gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes.

I saw Scott supress a laugh before the coach shouted in our ears.

"Get the hell out there!" I leapt up, forgetting everything I had in my head.

I'm playing, I'm actually playing!

Oh god, ohhhhh god. I'm on the field, I'm on the field. Yeah, werewolf stuff just doesn't seem so scary anymore.

I looked over to the crowd, my father looked confused but then I saw him smile and stand up and put a fist in the air.

"Oh dear god." I said under my breath.

When that buzzer when off to signal the start of play I think I may have had a heart attack. I wasn't focussed on anything except the fact that I was on the freaking field!

Oh god, the ball's coming, oh god, oh god.

_Crunch!_

Ouch, I just got tackled. Yeah, that hurt. If Jackson doesn't kill me then the other team would.

I think I got crunched a few more times before I even managed to get the ball. It was only after I saw Isaac start ramming members of our team, something must be up. He got through three guys before Scott was put in, that's probably a bad sign. When Isaac went down I knew that Gerard was getting involved but… the ball was coming towards me. It just sort of rolled this way.

I must have just stared at it for a few moments because I could hear my heart beating and everything seemed to move in slow-mo. I scooped it up and suddenly everyone else seemed to notice and they began running towards me. Oh holy god.

I ran towards our goal frantically, panicked. This was actually happening. I stopped in front of the goal and looked out towards everyone making their way towards me, then out to the crowd.

"What is he doing?" I heard the coach yell.

I looked out into the bleachers and saw my father with Ms McCall and Lydia.

"Shoot it!" Lydia yelled and I turned back to the goal and sucked the air into my lungs before attempting my first shot at goal.

When I heard the ball hit that net I yelled out and jumped up into the air.

I got it! I can't believe that just happened… I got it!

_Derek – _

I smiled to myself as I watched him get a goal. He hasn't actually had a chance to play this year. I know I took that away from him when we went to investigate at the hospital. The look on his face was priceless.

I don't think he could believe that he had just scored a goal.

I could hear his heart beating ridiculously fast from here. I was standing along the line of trees at the edge of the woods. I had been with Peter but I had managed to get away with enough time to watch Stiles play.

I told him I wouldn't, but I felt like I should probably make an effort. I don't want him to think that this can be anything more than it is by letting him know that I was here. I just liked to be near him, where I could smell him and watch him. I don't know how long this trigger thing was going to last. Part of me hopes that it'll be a lot longer, but I supress that part.

It will pass, that much I know. The last thing I need is some stupid attachment.

His adrenaline surged as he scored another goal. How was he doing this well?

The only problem with me being here to watch Stiles was that he distracted me from everything else. I couldn't focus, so when he scored the game winning goal and began celebrating with his team mates I didn't notice Jackson.

I was completely engrossed in Stiles that when the lights suddenly went out after the final buzzer I was caught off guard. I looked around frantically, my eyes were still adjusting but I could hear everything.

People started to scream, yell. Everything was mayhem. I ran towards the field when all of a sudden the lights came back on and there was a figure lying motionless on the ground in the middle of the field.

I stopped in my tracks and looked down at him. It was Jackson. I stood back and watched as Scott's mother ran over to examine him. Scott stood with Isaac as they lifted his jersey to see the blood and gouges on his stomach.

My blood ran cold. What the hell was Gerard's plan? What was he thinking?

It was then that my ears picked up something else.

_"Stiles?"_ I heard faintly.

I looked up and scanned the crowd.

_"Stiles?!"_ I caught sight of the Sheriff, standing amongst the teenagers and doing the same as me.

Where is he?

"Stiles!" I yelled.

The Sheriff looked over at me and I ran to him.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"He was… he was here and now he's… where is he? Where is my son?!" He yelled the last part and my search became more frantic.

"Stiles!" I roared.

Isaac looked up at me and suddenly realised the same thing that I had.

Stiles had disappeared. He was gone.

Where the hell was he? Where the hell was that trigger of mine? _"Stiles!"_ I howled.


	3. Chapter 3

"Derek!" I spun around to see Scott and Isaac loping towards me. "What's going on?"

My eyes were still frantically searching the crowd as I responded. "Stiles is gone, he disappeared when the lights went out."

"Well Jackson's dead out there." Scott said as he looked back to where his mother was still working on trying to save him. "So where could Stiles have gone?"

"Could someone else have taken him? Maybe he's still here somewhere." Isaac said.

"No he's not here; his scent is only lingering from the game. Trust me he's gone." I said.

Scott looked over at Isaac who looked a little awkward. The deputies were attempting to calm the Sherriff but he was having none of it.

"I want an APB out on him _now_!" He yelled.

"Sounds like his dad is getting worried." Isaac said and I looked at him with a piercing glare that shut him up pretty quick.

"Well we can't just disappear too! They're going to want to question us about him and Jackson. Gerard was here earlier but maybe what Jackson did to himself has him running." Scott said, I could see him scanning the faces around us and trying to pick up on Stiles' scent but it wasn't going to work.

"No, that's not his style." I said.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked down to see that I had three missed calls from Peter. I pursed my lips. There were bigger fish left to fry but I couldn't just ignore the fact that Stiles was missing. That little fact was gnawing away at me, grinding the back of my mind to the point that I was beginning to get a headache.

"You two need to stay here. Find out what you can from the Sheriff and your mother." I looked at Scott and he nodded. "I have to figure out what happened to Gerard. If Stiles is missing you can almost guarantee that he has something to do with it."

"You're going to try and find him?" Scott asked, a look of genuine concern on his face.

I nodded and Isaac took his arm to drag him back towards the group surrounding Jackson. I needed to find out what Peter wanted and then try and get back to track Stiles. I couldn't just sit back while he was missing. The lack of his scent around me was even worse than the unbridled longing for him when I could smell him.

Why did it have to be _that_ reckless, blundering human to trigger me?

_Scott – _

Derek was acting really weird, and I mean even weirder than usual. Maybe it's all the stuff with Erica and Boyd being missing but I didn't think he was all that close with his pack. I mean, Isaac was here with me rather than working with Derek and his secret alpha business. Something tells me that he knows more than he's letting on.

"Isaac…?" I said slowly.

"Yeah?" He replied as we walked back to the locker rooms.

Jackson had been carted off in a body bag to the morgue; my mum went with him just to make sure that everything was taken care of without too much supernatural fuss.

"What's going on with Derek? He was pretty secretive and why was he so flipped out about Stiles?" Isaac looked away and shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, isn't he always like that?"

"Yeah I guess, but not about the Stiles thing. Why was it bugging him so much?" I just couldn't figure it out.

The two of them had a… strained relationship to say the least.

"Maybe he just sees him as a part of his pack."

"Yeah but why would he? Stiles is human."

"Well maybe it's because he's already lost two pack members and he needs all the help he can get." His heart rate elevated and I could smell the pheromones on him.

"Isaac if you know something you can tell me. You can trust me." He stopped walking and looked up at me with a funny look on his face.

I don't really know what he was thinking. His eyes looked like they were holding something back but the way he bit down on his lip was like he was desperately holding it in.

"Isaac?"

He looked away from me and I could see that he was calming himself down, lowering his heart rate. "I do trust you Scott, and I only know the things that Derek has told me, or that I figure out from hanging around at his place." I sighed slightly but I know he noticed. "Look I just know he's going to do everything he can to find Stiles."

"Yeah well I don't think that's his number one concern." I muttered.

I waited until everyone else had cleared out of the locker room, probably all still thinking about what happened tonight, before I tore the door off Stiles' locker to pull out some of his clothing.

Isaac complained about having a shoe to get his scent from but we were cut off when Derek walked in.

With Peter.

Hold on a second, Peter? He's dead, I saw Derek rip out his throat after he killed Kate.

"Who's he?" Isaac whispered to me.

"A little while back he tried to kill us all so we set him on fire and Derek slashed his throat." I said matter-of-factly.

"Hi." Peter waved a little and I felt Isaac stiffen up beside me.

"Good to know." He said, his heart beat speeding up a little.

They started telling us that he had a way to save Jackson, to help him, but he was dead. It was too late.

"What's the point of trying to figure this out? He's dead and Stiles is missing. I have to find him." I said.

"Let me sort that out. Go back to the house and he'll explain everything to you." Derek motioned to Peter with his head.

I looked over at Isaac who gave me a reassuring nod. I looked back at Derek who was waiting for an answer.

I held out the shirt that Stiles had been wearing before the game but he just walked right past me.

"Hey! Just take it, it'll help!" I called out to him.

"Don't need it." He yelled as he called back and disappeared around the corner.

I looked at Isaac for support but he just nodded again. What the hell is going on around here?

"If the two of you are done having a little moment over there we have some important things to discuss." Peter smiled at us and I grit my teeth. "Oh, and, what do they call it? Oh yes, shotgun."

_Stiles – _

Everything aches. I think I have some internal bruising, I know there are definitely some blue marks forming on my ribs and stomach. I limped down the street under the flickering streetlights after just having been beaten thoroughly by Gerard. I think it's safe to say that I am definitely over the whole werewolf thing.

All of them.

Right now I just want to go home and see my dad. It's been hours now since I was taken from the field and I'm all he has left. He's got to be freaking out right now.

I ran my tongue over an open cut on my bottom lip and tasted the metallic flavour of my blood filled my mouth. I could feel the heavy throbbing of my grazed and bruised cheek as my head pounded.

My entire body felt heavy and there were still three blocks to my house. It felt like I had been walking for hours but they had tossed me out of the car with enough space to take me twenty minutes on a normal day.

This was all because of them. I know it's not Scott's fault, it's not even Derek's fault. This all started with Peter freaking Hale. Yeah, I know all of that, but I can't stand the thought of them right now. Or maybe I just can't stand the fact that it's true, I am Robin to their Batman.

I'm the weak human who can't protect himself and even if they don't want to admit it, I can.

I wonder if they still have Erica and Boyd tied up and electrified. I can't even call someone to tell them I know where they are, I don't have my phone. Even if I did I wouldn't know, they practically knocked me out and took me down into a basement without windows. Then when we left I was too groggy and sore to get a good look.

So yet again, I'm helpless, useless.

I grunted, the walk feeling like an eternity. Every step was more painful than the last and once I had sight of my house I thought I was close. In my condition, I really wasn't.

I wish I had my jeep. I know she would get me home safe and sound, well, relatively sound. I looked up at my house and saw the light on in my room. The squad car was in the drive and so was my jeep.

I walked up the front steps to see that the door was unlocked. It creaked only slightly as I pushed it open. The stairs were possibly the most daunting things I have ever seen facing me but I knew that my dad would be upstairs and I had to see him.

As I got closer to my room I could hear him talking, he was on the phone to someone, the station or Scott's mum probably.

"Listen, if he shows up at the hospital… okay, thanks." His voice was croaky and he sounded like he was exhausted. "Come on Stiles, where the hell are you?"

I stepped into the doorway just as he asked the question. "Right here." I said weakly.

He looked up at me, his eyes glassy and just took it in for a second.

I haven't seen my face yet but I know that it must look pretty bad. He walked up to me to get a good look. I could see the fury in his eyes at the sight of me. He demanded to know who did it and I lied and told him that it was a few guys from the other team. He yelled a lot but when he finally stopped I could see what he was really feeling, he was scared.

He grabbed me and pulled me in for a hug and even though the pain made my eyes water I didn't want him to let me go. I just wanted to tell him that I was okay, and that I was going to stay that way.

There was no way I was going to tell him what really happened. I can't just drop something like that on him, not now.

It took him a while and he gave me a good look over before he decided that I was fine and I told him that I just needed to be by myself for a bit. I think he realises that there is something more going on.

He sent a text to Scott to tell him that he could stop looking. I know he was probably out looking for me with his hyper senses but a part of me felt like he could stand to think I was missing for a while.

I don't know, everything is just one big mess.

I pretty much just lay in bed for a while after that. I don't know for how long, maybe an hour. It was then that I heard a rattling sound coming from my window. I looked up and saw Derek standing there looking in.

I had locked the doors to stop him from just barging in here like he always did. As much as I love it when he does, tonight I just didn't feel like seeing him. I just wanted to pretend that I was a normal human again and not some semi-member of a werewolf pack that I didn't really belong to anyway.

I got up slowly, trying not to grimace as I did so. I unlocked the window and walked across the room. Derek strode towards me and I turned slowly to see him standing just a foot from me. His nostrils flared as he turned my cheek to inspect it.

"Who did this?" He demanded.

I pulled out of his grip and refused to look him in the eye. "It doesn't matter, it's fine."

"I said who did this?" he said again.

"I heard you the first time and just a few kids from the other team, I was mouthing off." I said, giving him the same excuse I gave my dad.

"Do you hear that Stiles?"

"Hear what?"

"Your heart beat picking up. No, you don't, but you know you're lying." Trust him to find the day when I was least in the mood for him to play the werewolf/human card.

"So what?" I looked up at him challengingly.

"So tell me who did it, and I'll tear them to pieces." He said through gritted teeth, his eyes getting that faint red glow as his anger boiled over.

I don't think I was making it any better.

"I said it doesn't matter Derek."

"Was it Gerard? Did he orchestrate this?"

"So what if he did? You were going after him anyway so maybe you should get your little werewolf ass out of my room and track him down? Huh?" I was pushing it and I could see it in his eyes.

He didn't like it when I tested him. This is usually the part where he grabs me and holds me up against walls until I do what he wants or threatens him with something that actually matters. There isn't much I have on him; he's faster, stronger, taller. Not to mention an ass-kicking alpha werewolf.

His glare was burning holes in me but he didn't grab me, if I wasn't so beaten up it would have been a different story.

"You're just going to have to find someone else to trigger you tonight because I'm out of action… literally." I spat that last bit at him.

I know it wasn't his fault but right now I am just so annoyed with his whole damned species that he seems like the one to take it out on.

And maybe I am a little pissed that he didn't come to the game. Not that it's important now but I can't compartmentalize very well.

"You think that's why I'm here? You think I came all this way for a bit of sex? You were missing, Stiles. No one knew where you were and I have been out trying to track you down for the last two hours so when Scott sent me the message I thought I had better come over here and make sure it wasn't some crap that the hunters were pulling." His eyes were glowing very red now.

His breathing was laboured and he looked like he was inches away from a shift.

"Derek, Derek hey!" I put my hand out and grazed his cheek.

He closed his eyes and for a moment it looked like relief flooded his features and he gently nuzzled into my palm. He contained his anger and we both pulled away from one another as soon as he had it under control.

"I'm staying here tonight." He said firmly.

Any other night, why couldn't he say that any other night? "No, you're not." I said with a sigh.

"Stiles, I'm staying here." He said, his brow still furrowed slightly.

"I don't want you to stay here because you thought I could have been dead, just like I don't want you to come to the next game because you feel bad for missing this one and you think you could have stopped this." I gestured to my scrapes and bruises and his mouth gave a little tick.

"That's not why I'm staying." He said, moving in closer.

"I told you, you're not." I said.

He stepped towards me and I turned my eyes away. He put his hands gently on my waist and slipped one under my shirt. It wasn't a seductive gesture, it was a soothing one. His fingers searched for the lumps that were fresh bruises and brushed them gently. I could see his eyes scanning my face as he took a deep breath in.

This was still some trigger thing for him. He was still feeling that guilt for being selfish before.

"I'm not staying because you were missing or because I… missed your game." He said softly.

He pressed his palm to a tender piece of skin and I felt some of the pain begin to go away.

"Derek stop!" I pushed him off me and he let out a frustrated grunt. "I don't want any of your healing, morphine like werewolf crap right now!"

"So if you don't want me here then say it. Go on, say it out loud and I won't come back tonight." He said.

I know he wasn't expecting me to say it but I was angry, and hurt. I was just tired of it all and looking at him just reminded me of how pathetic and weak I am, of how I can't help anyone like this.

"I don't want you here. I want you to go." I said firmly.

He turned away with an angry glare. "Fine." He said sharply.

He turned to the window and climbed out, shutting it behind him.

It's not like the sourwolf has too many feeling I can crush. I'm just a trigger, he's made that very clear. Maybe this will help him stay away until it passes, after all that's what he wants right?


	4. Chapter 4

_Derek – _

"_And don't call me_." I heard him utter the words as I jumped off the roof of his house.

He knew I could hear him, he just couldn't say it to my face.

I was angry; I could feel it welling up inside of me. Good thing I had bigger things to deal with. I headed back to the house and Scott confronted me with some news about Jackson.

Things were happening that we couldn't explain and Isaac went with Scott to the hospital to check it out. Meanwhile Peter was looking at a beastiary on the computer and we found out that Jackson was changing… into something bigger and much badder.

We had to get down there now so I drove the two of us to the car park where they were taking him. For some reason Scott had enlisted the help of Argent, the hunter. He claims to be on our side for this, us against Gerard.

If Jackson was dead then it was because he wanted it. The only way to save him from completing the next phase of the transformation – which was terrifying by the way – is to get someone to reach out to him.

The only person we could think of was Lydia but who knows if she's even going to make it here. Does she even know what's happening? Stiles was clogging up my mind and making me lose track of other things. I should have stayed away from him.

I knew that getting involved with a trigger was going to turn sour.

_Sour-wolf_.

His voice echoed in my head

_Don't call me that_. I thought back.

_Why? I know you like it when I call you that_. His voice purred.

_You think you know a lot of things._

_Can't you just give me this one_? He teased.

A smile tugged at my lips but I shook the thoughts of him out of my mind.

Focus Derek.

It turns out Gerard did have a plan, one that I definitely didn't see coming.

Isaac, Scott and I were fighting with Jackson, who was lying dead on the lacrosse field only hours earlier. His poisoned claws slashed across my stomach, paralysing my legs and I was helpless as I watched Allison dig her blades into Isaac.

I let out a loud low growl, she was hurting the members of my pack. Who knows what they've done to Erica and Boyd. Isaac went down and she turned her attention to me, her eyes as bloodthirsty as her grandfather's. I saw Argent looking over in horror at what his daughter had become.

Scott ran up beside me and called out to her.

"Allison!"

It was then that we saw the Kanima grab her and hold her back by the throat.

Gerard stepped out of the shadows and began to reveal his plan to us, a plan that Scott had known about for quite some time. Why didn't he tell me?

He's dying, Gerard is dying and what he wants is something that I can give him. The only cure for cancer that there is – the bite.

He was ruthless. Jackson held tightly to Allison's throat.

"For survival? I'd kill my own son!" Gerard spat.

Scott knew what he wanted. So did I. I couldn't move, I couldn't resist.

Scott dug his fingers into my neck and dragged me up so that Gerard could place his arm in my mouth. I didn't want him to have it, I knew what came next. He was going to kill me to become the alpha and then they would have no way of stopping him, not with Jackson still needing a master.

"You're the only piece that doesn't fit Derek." Gerard taunted.

Didn't he think I knew that? I made a new pack, I asked them if they wanted it. I didn't force them into this and they still wanted something more. Isaac was the only one still here, but I know that's more out of allegiance to Scott than me.

"Scott… Don't…" I panted.

"I'm sorry… but I have to." He wrenched my head back, opening my jaws.

Gerard's arm came down and between my fangs until he forced the bite. He yelled in agony and pulled away, Scott let me drop to the ground.

I knew what was coming next, once the transformation begun he would kill me and take my place as alpha.

"Isaac…" I said softly and his ears picked up. "Tell Stiles… I'm sorry…" He nodded slowly.

Scott didn't hear me and neither did anyone else. I let my body fall limp as I watched Gerard holding his bitten arm in the air and then something strange happened. It began to ooze something sticky and black.

That isn't how it's supposed to go.

"What did you do?" He glared over at Scott who looked down at me.

"Everyone said Gerard had a plan…" He looked up at Gerard a little cockily. "I had a plan too."

Gerard pulled out his pill box and tipped them into his hand, crushing them. "Mountain ash!" He roared.

It's safe to say that it didn't go well for him. Right before he collapsed he commanded Jackson to kill us all. He replies with a reptilian hiss and Allison elbowed him in the face and cleared out of the way long enough for an all too familiar jeep to come crashing through one of the boarded up walls and into Jackson before breaking hard.

I knew exactly who was in that car. I could sense him in there and he wasn't alone.

Lydia was there with him.

As Jackson mounted his attack on the jeep she and Stiles came clamouring out and the first thing that Lydia did was run to him, a key in her outstretched hand.

Peter and I were finally able to complete our plan and when he was almost back to his human self we simultaneously inserted our claws into his back and stomach before letting him fall.

Lydia was crying impossibly now, the boy she had just told that she still loved lay dead before her eyes. I stepped back with the group and put my hand on Isaac's shoulder. He stood back in line with me, both our expressions sombre. I didn't want to kill him, not if I could help it.

I think we all had the same shocked expression on our faces when he began to rise, his blue eyes sparkling and his final transformation complete. I guess he got what he wanted after all.

Lydia ran to him and threw her arms around him. I heard her whisper to him that she loved him, over and over again. I glanced to my left to see that Stiles was trying to hide his tears. He has been infatuated with Lydia for years. I felt a pang in my gut but I tried to push it back.

I know it's not easy to get rid of feelings you've had for a long time but didn't I break some of that infatuation? Sometimes I forget that this trigger thing only goes the one way.

"I scratched my cheek." I heard Stiles try to cover up his tears but he wasn't fooling me, or Scott.

I watched him walk over to his jeep, knowing that the worst was over and he climbed in. I heard him sigh and I wanted to walk over and climb in beside him but I kept my feet glued to the floor.

As I stared over at him he looked up and gave me a blank stare, his eyes still glassy from the tears, before he turned away and started the car.

Argent put his arm around Allison who shrunk back into his arms and began to sob. Scott knew his place and wandered over to the jeep where Stiles was waiting, knowing that it would be up to him to take Scott home.

I walked slowly over to Jackson who was still clutching Lydia. "Meet me at my place tomorrow; you're one of us now. Someone's got to teach you." I said.

Lydia pulled herself off him for a moment, her hands never leaving his sides.

"So you can kill me?" He said, the look in his eyes was full of fear.

"I'm not going to kill you, I promise. And Isaac will be there."

Isaac walked over to us and gave him a slight smile. "He just wants to help. We both do."

Jackson nodded before Isaac stripped his shirt and handed it to him to cover himself up. Somehow we had all forgotten the fact that he was completely nude. He took it and turned back to Lydia.

"Come on." I said to Isaac and we turned to leave.

"Derek!" I spun around to see Argent calling me.

I looked in his direction and we gave one another a mutual glare. We didn't like each other but this was cause for a truce.

"The other two from your pack are in my cellar. I'll let them go." He said.

"Thank you."

"You better keep them in control."

"Don't worry, I will."

"Jackson is your responsibility now too. I don't want any more human blood spilled at the next full moon." He said firmly.

"Then we agree." I said.

"I suppose we do." We exchanged nods and he wrapped his arm around Allison and they headed to their car.

"So…" I grit my teeth and turned around to see Peter standing in front of me with his usual arrogant smile. "Where to next?"

I groaned and Isaac rolled his eyes.

"Do we really have to drive back to your house with _him_?" He asked.

I sighed again and glared at Peter who was still smiling.

"'Fraid so, oh and, uh… shotgun." He grinned.

God, I hate him.

Argent kept his word about letting Erica and Boyd go. They came whimpering back to my door in the early hours of the morning.

"Look, if you don't want to stay here that's fine. If you want to go off searching for another pack then go ahead. I'm not forcing you to stay." I told them.

"We're not leaving." Boyd said, his aching body leant against my front porch.

"That's good to hear." Peter said from behind me.

"Would you shut up?" I growled and he smiled, amused at his inappropriate humour.

"There is no other pack, it was all a ruse." Erica said, her eyes weak and broken from being bound by electric wires. "Besides, this is our home."

"Oh no, don't think that this has become a little wolf-house for strays just because I can't get Isaac to leave." I said.

Isaac threw his hands up and gave me a look but I just rolled my eyes.

"Do you still want us in your pack?" Boyd asked sincerely.

"You're welcome to stay, just don't turn into squatters." I said coolly.

I tried to sound offhand and as much as I bugged Isaac for cramping my loner lifestyle I did enjoy having him here as company. I'd forgotten how much I missed having people living here with me.

"No, he's got enough of them." Peter chimed in.

I rolled my eyes but ignored him.

I explained to them about what had happened and told them about Jackson. They didn't seem so sure about accepting him into the pack but I'm the alpha so they didn't verbalise their concerns.

He showed up about mid-morning with Lydia by his side. Scott showed up too, clearly he had heard about the meet up, that or Jackson called him in for protection. The rest of my pack hung around behind me, Isaac standing the closest. Of all of them he's the one I can trust the most.

I couldn't help but notice that Stiles wasn't here. It seemed strange for everyone to be here except him, he was usually the one I could count on. My body stung from the effect of not seeing him and I know that Scott could see that something was wrong. My pack knew what was affecting me but I made sure not to say anything to any of them.

Why wouldn't Scott bring him? What if he asked but Stiles refused? He did say something about not wanting anything to do with members of my species… had he finally had enough?

"You're going to need our help if you're going to survive in this town." I said. "Right now we have a truce with the Argents but if you can't control yourself on the full moon or when you shift then that's broken, done. So I'm going to ask you now, do you want to be a part of this pack?"

He shifted his weight a little. His eyes darted over to Scott. "You're not with them are you?"

Scott pulled a face and shrugged. "It's kind of complicated." He said.

"He doesn't like me." Peter said.

"Nobody likes you." Isaac retorted.

Peter gave him a semi-serious look and Isaac looked like he may have regretted his words. I smiled a little, I'm glad somebody said it.

"It's true; I'm not even sure why you're still here." I said and Peter shrugged.

"Well why aren't you with them then?" Jackson asked.

"He's an alpha, I'm not a part of his pack."

"You can choose to be can't you?"

"You know you're welcome if that's what you want, you just need to respect my position as alpha." I said.

Scott looked over at Jackson who was starting to look like he wasn't going to join us unless we had Scott on our side. He turned back to me and I could see that he knew it too, and he knew that what Jackson needed to transition smoothly was a pack.

"You're free to leave if it's not what you want." I said.

"I know." He took one last look at Jackson before nodding lightly. "I think we need to be united, we're stronger as a pack." He said.

So that was that, I had Scott and Jackson along with Erica, Boyd and Isaac. I refuse to include Peter who is still hanging about annoyingly. There was only one thing missing from my pack.

I had Lydia who came with Jackson, and Allison would no doubt follow Scott to become a part of this misfit group, but that wasn't enough.

I wanted Stiles.

For the next four nights I went to his house and sat on the roof outside his bedroom window. He told me not to call and I didn't. I waited for him to contact me but he still hadn't and staying away from him was beginning to drive me mad. I wasn't going to call him or knock on the window if he didn't want to talk to me.

I guess we're both stubborn in that way. I sat listening to him sleep, his heart beat pounding slowly, picking up when his dreams captured his imagination. It was soothing and his scent was still as glorious as ever. I longed to climb in through the window and feel the heat of his body against mine.

If only he hadn't been so stubborn the other night; why wouldn't he let me stay? He had been asking for me to stay with him but I never wanted to. I wanted to keep this thing as sterile as possible so that when the trigger broke I could just move on. Besides, I was above feeing petty attachments.

I suppose that sounds silly considering the fact that I'm perched on his roof listening to him sleep. I rested my chin on my knees and closed my eyes. The rhythmic thumping of his heart making mine slow down to match it.

Why did he have to be so stubborn?

"_Still awake_…" He said to himself. "_Why can't I get you out of my head_?"

I sighed again; he had been restless last night too.

"_What do you see in a guy like Jackson_?" I ground my teeth, he was still thinking about Lydia? "_I mean, apart from the obvious_."

I shifted my weight and furrowed my brow. What was so special about that girl?

"_Is it because I'm too… normal for you? I mean Jackson's a freaking werewolf now; he could tear you to pieces. Trust me Lydia there is nothing special about a werewolf_." I let out a low growl and I heard his heart start beating a little faster. "_I know you're there sour wolf_."

My ears picked up and I froze, I think my heart may have stopped beating.

"_Are you just checking in or is there some other reason you're here? The window's open you know. I heard you there last night_." I didn't know whether to go in or not, I wanted to see him but the way I wanted to hold him, touch him… I didn't want him to think that I just came for that the same way he did the other night. "_If you don't want to come in fine, I know I said don't call me but… I want you to be here with me_."

I didn't need much more convincing. I opened the window and climbed in gracefully as he sat up in bed. I just stood there staring at him and he gave me a weak smile. "You know I kind of thought that it was just a squirrel or something but I feel better knowing that I didn't make a total ass out of myself… though if it was a squirrel he wouldn't know that I was making an ass of myself… he'd just be… squirrelling." I had to hold back my smile at that.

"Are you saying that I sound like a squirrel?" I asked and he smiled.

"To my weak human ears; yeah."

I walked up to him and cupped his face in my hands. His full lips had almost fully recovered from the beating he had suffered at the hands of Gerard and they were soft and supple under mine.

A fire rippled through my body at his touch, he wrapped his arms around my waist and when I pulled my lips from his he nuzzled into my neck. He was so very fragile and I held him into me tightly. I didn't want any more harm to come to him because of me and I let out a heavy exhale knowing that the threat is gone and he was here, in my arms.

He pulled away and his fingers slipped down my arm and laced themselves with mine. Had it been any other day I would have pulled them out of his grasp but I was just so thankful to be near him that I let him have this one. I trailed him to his bed and I slipped off my shoes to climb in beside him.

My body melted into his and I wrapped one arm around him, our hands still locked together tightly.

"So I guess everything is going well now, huh?" He whispered.

"It seems like it." I kissed him behind his ear.

"Scott said he agreed to be a part of your pack."

"He did."

"You must be happy."

"Why? It doesn't matter if I have Scott, it's you I want." My lips brushed his neck as my words trickled into his ear.

"Well you've got me." He murmured.

"Good."

"Are you…"

"I'm staying Stiles."

He nodded a little and bumped his head into mine. "Sorry." He muttered.

I just let out a little laugh.

"I guess there's only one thing to do now." He said.

"What's that?" I asked, nuzzling into him and closing my eyes.

I couldn't imagine a better place to fall asleep.

"I've got to tell Scott." He said.

I opened my eyes. Oh yes, I'd forgotten about that.


	5. Chapter 5

_Isaac – _

It's been a week since Jackson became one of us. It feels like a whole lot longer.

It didn't take Jackson long to get back to his usual arrogant self, especially once he learnt how strong he was. This time he didn't have to be scared of what he was, he could control this, he was his own master. Well, except for Derek.

Derek let out a deafening roar and I winced. He was my alpha and I knew what that sound meant. It meant that he was proving it to us.

I didn't need much convincing but I know that it's mainly for Jackson anyway. Scott didn't even flinch. I think that's because he's not totally a part of this pack. He doesn't see Derek as his alpha so he can't intimidate him.

Derek was standing over Jackson who had just been thrown down. He cowered a little, his body feeling the alpha's roar and knowing that he would have to submit to it.

Lydia and Allison were sitting on the porch just watching everything happen. I don't know if Allison and Scott were back together or what, I just know that she has been coming down with Lydia the last few days.

Stiles was sitting in his jeep, the door open and his legs resting on the side as he watched Derek trying to teach Jackson. By that I mean that he was watching Derek, not the actual training.

I guess they think they're being subtle with the way that they keep looking at one another, and I guess they are, just not to me, Boyd or Erica.

"Get up." Derek said calmly, his human face staring down at Jackson's animal one.

Jackson stood up and glared at him.

"You know that you actually have to try."

"I am trying!" Jackson growled.

The first few times he shifted to train he had been really wild, tried going after Lydia. Derek shut him down obviously, same way he did that time I tried going after Stiles in the police station.

He's much better now; he gained a lot of control in a short amount of time. I mean that's probably because he hasn't stopped training. At this rate he was going to have the easiest first full moon transition of us all.

"The full moon is in a week. I'm still going to chain you up." Derek said.

"What the hell do you think I am? Some kind of-"

"Animal?" Jackson growled a little at being made a fool but turned away from him. "Alright, again."

"Give me a minute would you?" Jackson said and walked over to Lydia, now back in human form.

Derek shrugged and his eyes darted to Stiles who smiled half behind his hand. Derek gave him a little smirk before turning around and walking back to the porch to get a drink. I watched as he reached down and lifted his shirt up over his head and poured half of the water bottle over himself. The droplets of water ran down over his body.

I looked back at Stiles who was shaking his head and Derek had a wicked grin when he turned around.

He was never going to admit it but he really did care about Stiles. It was obvious to everyone, well, most of us. The others were still oblivious.

When Jackson and Derek began to pick up their fighting again I sighed.

I remember what it was like the first few times I shifted and had training with Derek. I hated it, but I know now that he was only trying to do what's best for all of us. I looked over at Scott who was gazing longingly after Allison. I'm pretty sure she was trying not to notice but it was written all over her face; she knew that he was watching.

I saw Scott turn his attention quickly away from Allison and I tuned my ears in.

"Hey Scott, do you have a minute? I want to talk to you about something." Stiles said casually, knowing that he could hear. "Come walk with me?"

I looked over at Stiles who was already walking into the woods. As soon as they were out of sight I glanced back to Derek who was completely occupied with Jackson and made a move for the woods behind them.

I wanted to make sure that Scott took this okay; he and Derek aren't exactly the best of friends.

"What's with the sudden need for privacy Stiles?" Scott laughed a little but I could hear Stiles' heart beating fast.

"I just wanted a little privacy, you know, away from prying ears." I made an effort to stay quiet; I didn't want Scott giving me up.

"Okay, so what's up Stiles, are you okay?" He asked.

I could see them through a clearing of trees and I crouched down to hide myself from their view.

"Yeah no, I'm totally fine, better than fine actually…" He ran a hand over his head anxiously and jiggled about a bit.

He never seems to be able to stay still.

"So what is it?"

Stiles sighed and stopped his silly movements to look directly at Scott. "Well, I- I'm kind of seeing someone… kind of."

"Well that's great… Do I know them?" Scott asked, he seemed a little confused as to why this was such a big deal.

"Yeah… most definitely yeah. It's…" He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Scott it's Derek. I'm sorta-kinda seeing Derek."

Scott didn't say anything for a moment, I could hear him breathing but I couldn't quite read his expression.

"Scott-"

"_Derek?!_" He roared.

Okay, I know Derek would have heard that one.

"How could you be seeing _Derek_?!" I raced over and stood between them, putting my palm on Scott's chest to keep him back. "Isaac what are you doing?"

"You're getting angry Scott, I don't want anything bad to happen to either of you." I said firmly.

"You knew about this? You knew that they were … together and you didn't say anything?"

"He's my alpha Scott, I was protecting him."

"Don't blame Isaac for-"

"How could you possibly think that it would be a good idea Stiles? It's _Derek_, he's angry and unpredictable… You're a human; He could kill you!" He yelled.

"And you could kill Allison every time you're near her but I seem to be the only one pointing that out." Derek's smooth calm voice washed over us and we looked over to see him standing behind us with the others close behind him.

"What the hell Derek? Stiles? Why?" Scott yelled and Derek rolled his eyes.

"Should I be offended that you're more upset about _who_ I'm seeing and not the fact that I'm you know… seeing a guy?" Everyone ignored Stiles' comment and then Erica chimed in.

"It's not like it's completely his fault, the little human is a trigger for him." She grinned sarcastically.

"What ever happened to batman?" Stiles muttered.

He was ignored again.

"Dude, you're screwing him?" Jackson pointed to Stiles and Derek just gave another roll of his eyes.

"Hello! Right here!" Stiles waved erratically so I nudged him and gave him a weak smile.

"What the hell is a trigger? And how long has this been going on?" Scott yelled.

"Scott, calm down." Derek said steadily while trying to put his hand on Scott's shoulder.

Scott tore himself away from Derek and Boyd came over and grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?!"

I heard Boyd tell him something about not losing his cool and then he started to explain what a trigger was as they walked away from the group. Scott's heartbeat slowly began to return to its normal pace.

"So…" Lydia said looking from Derek to Stiles. "The two of you…?" Stiles nodded while Derek just stared at her blankly. "Interesting." She said.

"Do you think he's going to be okay?" I asked, looking over at Boyd and Scott.

"He'll be fine. It's not the worst thing in the world." Derek said.

"Am I supposed to be offended by that?" Stiles said and I thought I saw Derek's mouth twitch.

Lydia, Allison and Jackson smiled and I looked over at Erica with a grin, one that she didn't return.

Boyd and Scott walked back over to the group and we all looked to them expectantly. Scott had a soured look on his face and he looked from Stiles to Derek.

I just wondered how he was going to react to this, everyone else seemed fine, but Scott is Stiles' best friend and the fact that he had hidden it from him can't be sitting well.

_Stiles – _

"I don't care that you're… you know… wanting to date a guy. You know that doesn't bother me. It's just that it's Derek and I don't think he's good for you…" Scott looked up at Derek and he nodded a little with that furrow in his brow. "… but if you're a trigger for him and it's going to be dangerous for him to just walk away now then fine. I mean Boyd said that these things don't always last."

That made me pang a little. Did everyone think that this was just some wolf thing? That this was going to end when I stopped being a trigger for him? _Was_ it going to end then or did he actually feel something for me?

And why do I seem to have no say in this thing? He can't just drop me when he's done enjoying my scent… that was weird, anyway… why do they all think that my feelings meant nothing?

"…but… I think I can be okay with this. Only if Isaac agrees to help me kill Derek if he does anything to hurt you." The two of them looked over at one another and Isaac nodded.

Aw, Scott, I didn't know you cared so much.

"Are we done with this now?" Derek asked, looking bored.

Did he really not care or was he just pretending that he didn't care? He's right; I ask too many questions.

"Yeah, we're done." Scott said.

"Well thank god for that." I said with a grin to break the awkward tension between everyone.

"Let's go, we're not done yet." Derek grabbed Jackson and started dragging him back to the clearing in front of his house.

Scott followed with Isaac and Boyd in tow and Lydia sucked her lips into a pout as she stared at me inquisitively. Allison went to head back with the others but stopped when she saw Lydia's staring.

Erica just looked at us strangely.

"So… Derek?" Lydia said.

What does she want me to say to that? 'So Jackson' or something?

"Uh… yeah. Why are you staring at me?" I'm starting to feel pretty uncomfortable.

"He's a pretty good looking guy." She stated.

I rolled my eyes. "Why is everyone so hung up on the fact that he's a ten and I'm a … wait what am I?" I flailed my arms a bit and thought I saw Erica smile.

"A solid seven." Lydia replied instantly.

"Who made you the boss of number-judging?"

"Allison, tell him I'm right."

We all looked to Allison who gaped for a moment, her eyes darting from me to Lydia and then rolled her eyes. "Well I'll give her that one." She said.

"Is a seven good or bad?" I asked.

Lydia gave a shrug. "Well there aren't many people under three and Jackson's definitely a nine so-"

"Wait you think Derek is higher than Jackson?" I said.

"I didn't label him a ten, you did. But I'm not going to correct you so…"

"You guys kind of drifted off topic." Erica said dryly.

"No one asked you, Catwoman." I snapped.

"_Cat_woman?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know! Who do you want to be? Wolverine?" I said and she glared at me with her eyes narrowed before slowly wandering away.

"You know, between going out with Derek and enraging Erica you're asking to get hurt." Allison said, a touch of a smile reaching her lips.

"Says you, the werewolf hunter with the teen wolf boyfriend." She laughed a little and I felt a bit better.

"So is he a good kisser?" Lydia fluttered her eyelashes at me with an innocent looking smile.

"Oh I get it, you want details so you can play out your little fantasies." I said lightly and Allison bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.

Lydia smiled wryly and slipped her arm through mine as we began walking back to the house.

Well, that seemed to go reasonably well.

I sat in my bedroom later that night after having an _actual_ private chat with Scott like I had wanted to start with. He told me that he had overreacted and that he didn't mean to make such a scene. He also said that he would be fine with it, you know, so long as Derek doesn't hurt me too bad. I should probably hide the bruises from him.

I had my music playing on the dock and I was reading one of my old comics; ironically it was Wolverine.

I heard my window slide open and smiled. I looked up as Derek stepped in, his black jeans and leather jacket making him look sexier than ever.

I threw the comic to the floor and stood up to see him. He grabbed my shirt and pulled me into his chest as he crushed his damp lips into mine. I thought about what Lydia said, about me being right about Derek being a ten. I smiled and I felt Derek's lips stretch into a crescent shape under mine.

"What?" He asked.

I pulled my head back and looked at his face, his features softening and warmth flowing from him that seemed almost unusual. The rarity of a smile graced his lips and I completely forgot what I was thinking.

"Nothing, just… something Lydia said." I nodded a little.

His smile turned supercilious, "you mean about how I'm a ten?"

My entire face flushed, even my ears. I could feel them burning as I averted my eyes from his gaze. "You know that super sour-wolf hearing of yours takes you down to a nine point five." I muttered and his body shook as he laughed.

"Is that so?"

"Yup."

"Well…" He shifted his weight so that his body grazed mine a little. "If it makes any difference I don't think you're a seven."

"No?"

"No."

"So what do you think I am then?" I said as I pulled a face trying to be nonchalant.

He laughed again and shrugged. "At least an eight."

"Ha ha."

He kissed me to dispel my bitter face. I gotta say, it worked. He tugged at my shirt and started pulling me across the room.

"Where are we going?" he didn't answer, he just kept pulling me along and I wasn't going to argue because it usually resulted in the removal of clothing.

We ended up in the bathroom and he shut the door behind us. He kissed me and unzipped my jacket as he opened the door to the shower. I let him undress me, partly because he does it _so_ much better than I do and partly because I love that look he gets as he does it. I stood in my boxer briefs as he stripped out of his jacket and turned the water on.

He slowly unclothed until he was standing opposite me in just his black jockey shorts. His eyes never left mine as he dropped to his knees and torturously pulled down my boxers. He leant in and kissed me just under my hip bone and I sucked the air into my lungs sharply. His stubbled chin nuzzled into me and I wet my lips with my tongue.

He stood up and ravished my body with his eyes before giving his head a curt nod towards the shower.

"Yes Mr Sour-Wolf Sir." I gave him a playful salute and he rolled his eyes as I stepped under the hot water.

It instantly made me feel relaxed, the warmth covering me completely and engulfing me from my shoulders to my toes. I saw his shadow block out the light from the centre of the room and he shut the door, locking us in our own private space that blocked off the rest of the world.

One of his hands came sliding around my waist, pulling my body into his under the hot cascade. The other held tightly to the back of my hand, lifting it to press my palm against the cold tile wall.

I felt his lips break the stream of water as they made contact with the skin on my shoulder and I closed my eyes, drinking in this moment and never wanting to forget it.

"So what would you score me then?" I asked.

"What?" he mumbled into the back of my neck.

"You know… or did you really mean eight?" I felt him smile behind me.

"You're fishing for compliments Stiles."

"Am not."

"You are, and you know the more you do it the less I'm going to bite."

It was my turn to smile a little. "I don't know whether that means I should keep going or stop." I felt his teeth nip at my skin and I shivered.

He took his hand away from mine and picked up the little white bar from its holder as he rubbed some soap into his hands.

"Hey be careful not to drop that." I said and he grinned to himself.

I don't think he saw me watching, otherwise he might have rolled his eyes instead.

He ran his lathered hands down my back and pressed his thumbs into the muscles of my shoulders. I sighed as he made circular movements before running them down the sides of my spine to my lower back.

Sometimes I wish other people could see him when he's like this, then they might believe that he won't hurt me. They might think that he's more than just a big bad alpha. I mean everyone is someone different when they're at home right?

On the other hand, I don't want anyone else to know him like this. It makes me think that he does have actual feelings for me. It might just be a trigger for him, or so he says, but it's not for me. Derek is making it really hard to feel anything other than good things for him especially when we're alone like this.

I hadn't even noticed him stop his massage so I jumped a little when I felt his lips in my ear.

"I would have to say… eleven." He murmured before he pulled me tighter against him.

I just smiled to myself.

"Lying bastard." His body shook with laughter again and he spun me around to greet me with a searing hot kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

_A Week Later – _

Derek had been staying over at Stiles' place far more often recently. He tried to let Stiles think that it was because he was keeping him safe, after he was taken by Gerard and beaten up, he would never let on that it was because he actually cared about him.

Stiles lay beside Derek, still fast asleep and snoring lightly with his mouth open. Derek was already awake, he had been for at least an hour but he wasn't going to wake him up. His fingers stroked the short hair behind Stiles' ear as he listened to the sound of his heart thumping slowly.

Stiles wasn't the only one who stood up to Derek but he was definitely the bravest. The others gave him lip, Erica mostly, but he could shut her down with a harsh growl, the same with Jackson. Isaac tried his luck occasionally but never prevailed, and while Scott was the one to fight back to him the most he couldn't force him to back down, he wasn't Derek's beta.

They all tried their luck, but no one pushed it quite like Stiles did and to make it more dangerous, he was a human. All of the others were werewolves and if Derek snapped and did them any harm they would heal. Stiles wouldn't, and he knew it.

Sometimes Derek thought that he pushed the boundaries just to see how far he could go before he went too far. He's been pushing it far too much lately because he knows that he can get away with it.

Derek hated how he could make him smile with his stupid sarcastic comments or witty jokes. He didn't want Stiles to do that to him. He had always found it so frustrating until Stiles became a trigger.

He thought back to the moment he figured it out…

It was the night they were trapped in the school; he was left almost dead by the alpha. He had blacked out. He couldn't remember anything. All he knew was that Scott and Stiles had a terrified look on their faces and then an agonizing pain began running through his body, then nothing.

When he came to he was lying outside the school and his first breath made him choke on the thick air around him. The scent that filled his nostrils was perfect, intoxicating. His body reacted to it faster than his mind could with his wolf breaking through the human barrier.

He didn't know who it was or where they were but he could smell them and he wanted them. His ears tuned in to the sounds of voices in the school and he could hear five of them, five human voices.

God he hoped it wasn't Scott. Then again, when he and Stiles picked him up from the ironworks during the police chase he knew. The second he climbed into the car he felt overwhelmed and all of his senses were set alight. With a deep breath he looked back at Stiles and knew it was him.

That seemed like it could be even worse.

"Mmm… no I don't, you do…" He was taken out of his trance by Stiles' sleep groaning.

He smiled down at him and propped himself up on his elbow. Stiles was grinning stupidly and pouting his lips with a low moan and a shallow laugh.

"You totally need me more… yeah… no want… you…want me…more…" he puckered his lips and Derek pressed his to Stiles' ear.

"You wouldn't be talking about me would you?" He whispered.

Stiles stirred and he blinked himself awake, jumping a little at the feel of Derek by his side.

"Hmm Derek? What… what are you doing here?" Stiles rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes, still as groggy as ever.

Derek placed the palm of his hand on Stiles' chest, sliding it up and down as he woke himself up. "Aren't you the one who _wanted_ me to stay here overnight?" He teased.

He sighed loudly and with a smile reached up to pull Derek into him for a kiss. Derek's hand slipped lower and gently grazed Stiles' morning wood through his boxers.

"Whoa, whoa, at least let me wake up first." Stiles grinned. "And obviously I want you to stay over." He said, rolling over and closing his eyes again.

"So what were you dreaming about?" Derek asked.

"Uh… I don't know, I can't remember." He lied.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Stiles, your heart beat just got a whole lot faster."

"Well yeah your hand was just on my junk." He grinned again, eyes still lazily shut.

"Don't you want to tell me?"

"I just… I don't remember."

"Stiles."

"Alright! I was just dreaming about you know, talking to you."

Derek raised his eyebrows and he began to stroke his side gently. "About?"

Stiles laughed and this time it was his turn to smirk. "About how you totally need me more than I need you." His hand stopped moving but didn't leave him. "Not to mention the fact that you couldn't go a week without sex… you horny sour-wolf you." He still seemed as though he was mostly asleep.

Derek narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side. "You really think so."

"I do, in fact I challenge you." Stiles looked up at Derek, squinting in the bright morning light with a cheeky grin.

"You challenge me to what exactly?"

"I bet you'd come begging for it." Derek growled down at him and this time he sat himself up to try and get a solid grip on the day.

"Stiles, I think you seriously underestimate my self-control."

"Yeah, right… says the guy who advises _against_ hopping into bed with a trigger. Nice one." He laughed and Derek jutted out his jaw.

"Yeah well I've had that now so it shouldn't be too hard to resist." He snapped and Stiles shut his mouth, leaving an awkward silence hanging in the room. Derek groaned. "You know I didn't mean it like that." He muttered, not wanting to look like he was backing down.

Stiles just smiled and blinked slowly before shutting his eyes again.

"I think you want to wake up." Derek said, hearing a creak on the stairs that he knew Stiles hadn't noticed.

"I am _so _good right where I am." He said without opening his eyes.

"Well I'm getting up." Derek said quickly but Stiles grabbed him. "Stiles get off of me!" He hissed.

"Stay." He was still sleepy and it was this time of day when he really could get annoying.

"Not unless you want-" He was cut off as there was a knock on the door and Stiles let him go immediately.

"Uh… yeah?" he called out.

His dad opened the door and poked his head through, looking around a little confused.

"Are you alright up here Stiles?" He asked, looking over at his son alone in his bed.

"Uh, yeah, I just woke up why?"

"I could have sworn I heard voices."

"Oh… yeah, I have a tendency to talk in my sleep." He grinned sheepishly at his father who looked unconvinced for a moment before his face softened into a smile.

"Are you really still doing that?" He asked.

"So I'm told. Scott's always giving me a hard time about it." He shrugged.

His dad looked nostalgically off to the side and nodded to himself. "You know when you were little we used to know when you were lying because you refused to go to sleep. You thought that we had some kind of special powers when you slept because when you woke up me and your mom would have figured it all out. You always babbled on about whatever you lied about and you had no idea." He chuckled and Stiles smiled a little.

The memory made him think of his mother and that face that she used to give him when she knew he was lying. She always knew. She would keep her face still and only lift one eyebrow as she stared down at him. He always tried to keep eye contact with her but never managed to do it. He always broke away.

His dad clapped his hand on his shoulder and sighed. "Well, I'll let you wake yourself up them. You got much on for the day?"

"Uh, not much, just hanging with the pack." He wanted to swallow his words up again because pack wasn't exactly a normal thing to call your friends.

"The pack? Is that some kind of slang that I don't understand?" He father asked with a smile and an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah… pretty much." He smiled weakly and the Sheriff walked over to the door.

"You're probably going to be alone for dinner, we've got a big case and I don't think I'll be done with reports until late." He said, standing in the door.

"What case dad?" Stiles asked, always interested in the goings on of the police force.

"A murder." He said with tired eyes.

"Oh, well, if you need any help with piecing things together…" He put his hand up and the Sheriff sighed.

He shook his head but smiled a little. "I think you've done enough detective work for now, you just enjoy the summer break okay? Maybe you kids could go camping or something for a few days, take a drive."

"Are you trying to get rid of me dad?" He asked with a playful little smirk.

"I just want you to go out and enjoy yourself while you can, before you have to get a job and a real life. Maybe you could drag Derek out with you, have a little fun, that guy always has a sour look on his face." Stiles had to bite his lips to hold back his laughter, knowing that Derek was somewhere nearby with his big wolf ears open.

"Yeah, maybe dad. Just um, be careful okay?" He said, knowing that a murder case could possibly be dangerous for him.

His dad walked back over to him and kissed his forehead before finally leaving the room. Stiles heard him head down the stairs and when the door clicked shut Derek climbed back through the window.

His face was ultra-sour.

"What's up buttercup?" Stiles grinned and it was almost as though steam came out of Derek's flaring nostrils.

"Don't think I won't rip your throat out in your own room Stiles."

"Yeah, yeah, with your teeth I know." He sat up and stretched out, his back clicking and cracking.

His mom was still hovering about in his mind and he sighed a little, looking down to the floor. Derek walked over at sat next to him on the bed, the mattress sinking as he did. He put his arms around Stiles who leant into Derek's shoulder.

Derek knew that look all too well. He could hear the change in his heartbeat when the Sheriff brought up his mother, the change in his scent. He missed her.

Derek nuzzled against him. Stiles didn't know how Derek knew that he needed it, but he was glad to be held in his firm arms. They didn't need to say anything, Stiles felt like he wanted to but Derek wasn't much of a talker, so a silent embrace seemed to work.

After the feeling of something long gone had left him Stiles coughed a little and wriggled out of Derek's arms to grab his jeans off the floor.

"Should I even bother putting these on?" He smiled.

Derek raised an eyebrow and gave Stiles a bemused look. "Don't you remember our little conversation?"

Stiles thought back to when he was half asleep and recounted their conversation and the bet he had put up on the table. He rolled his eyes and laughed.

"You don't seriously want to do that do you?"

"I think you offered me a challenge and who am I to refuse?" Derek said.

Stiles groaned. "Right, you're an alpha, you always have to prove you're top dog." Derek narrowed his eyes.

"I think you just know you'll lose."

"No, I won't. I went seventeen years without sex so I think the _week_ that it'll take you to crack will be a breeze." He stepped into his jeans and pulled them up around his waist.

"Name your price then."

"What?" Stiles asked, looking around for a shirt.

"If I win this little bet, you have to stop calling me sour wolf." He said flatly.

Stiles spun around to look at him with a horrified look on his face. "Well what am I supposed to call you then?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "My name, Stiles. It's there for a reason."

"But… you're my sour wolf." He said it as though it was a fact and not just the way he felt.

"If you're that scared that you're going to lose-" Derek said, ignoring Stiles and his baby voice.

"Oh, I am not scared. No, in fact, I am so confident that I'll beat you, that I am willing to put that on the table." Derek smiled, god how he hated that little nickname. "So _when_ I win, you can take me away for the weekend." He grinned cockily.

"Do you think I'm made of money?" Derek asked.

"I didn't say you had to take me to Europe for the weekend I just said away. You know, to a place where we can be alone, without my dad or your betas. As much as I love Scott, I could do without seeing him all the time, especially now when he's moping over all this Allison stuff." Derek sighed.

"Fine." He held out his hand for Stiles to shake.

"Is that how you want to seal the deal or is there a better way." He winked and Derek actually managed a laugh.

"Stiles, I think you missed the point of this thing." He smiled.

"No, I'm pretty sure teasing you until you beg is what I had in mind." Derek let out a howling laugh and pulled Stiles into him.

"You'll be waiting a long time."

Stiles reached down and grabbed Derek's hips, pulling them into his. "Oh yeah?"

Derek leant in for a quick kiss before shoving him away. "Come on, we can get some lunch before we head down to the house."

"Lunch? How long was I asleep?"

Isaac and Scott walked side by side as they headed into the woods by Derek's house. Tonight was the full moon so they were on their way to test Jackson out, deciding whether or not he could go the night without being chained up.

The mid afternoon sun was warm on their backs and the breeze was barely blowing. Isaac watched as Scott bobbed his head up and down, side to side, clearly singing a song in his head. His lips started moving along to whatever lyrics he was thinking of.

Isaac smiled, still watching him wander along obliviously. Scott looked over to him for a second and did a double take when he realised that Isaac was watching him. He smiled with that toothy grin on his lopsided jaw.

"What?" Isaac laughed a little, the grin on his face turning to the floor.

"Nothing, what's the tune you've got in your head?"

"Oh…" Scott almost blushed a little. "I don't really know the name." He smiled with a shrug of his shoulders. "So do you think Derek will really let Jackson spend the full moon unchained?"

Isaac shook his head. "Not a chance. The first time we experienced the full moon, you know, when I wasn't in a jail cell, Derek put metal headgear on me and Erica to restrain us."

Scott laughed. "He's pretty careful don't you think?"

"Especially now that the pack is so big. And I'd hate to see anyone try to threaten Stiles, he practically growls every time Erica teases him about something." Isaac said, climbing over a fallen log.

"Yeah… I have to say, it was kind of weird to start off with but they actually do make a pretty good pair."

"Told you." Isaac said as he nudged Scott with his shoulder.

Their eyes locked for a moment before Scott shoved him down to the ground. "Hey! What the-"

"Race you." Scott said with a mischievous grin before taking off into the woods.

"That's not fair! That's – that's cheating." Isaac jumped up and tore through the forest after Scott.

He could see him metres ahead, dodging the trees and the foliage as he ran. Isaac used the branches to pull himself forward, gaining some speed and catching up a little more to Scott through a clearing.

He could hear Scott laughing up ahead and when he turned back his eyes were glowing bright yellow. Isaac grinned, his eyes matching. He was almost by his side at the next clearing of trees and he could see Scott trying to push himself further.

_Oh no you don't_, he thought to himself as he jumped forward to grab a tree branch and swing himself into Scott's body causing them to crash and roll together along the forest floor.

They came to rest with Scott laying on his back and Isaac crossed over his stomach. He could feel Scott's stomach vibrating from the mix of panting and laughing that he was doing. Isaac just hung his head and smiled, panting profusely himself.

"Does this mean I win?" He asked.

Scott shoved him away and pinned him to the ground with an arm behind his back. Isaac winced and struggled a little, still tired from running.

"Nope." Scott barked back.

Isaac sighed before kicking Scott's legs out from under him. He landed with a thud but flipped himself back to his feet, the two of them facing one another down, grinning wildly.

"Give it up Scott."

"You don't really think you can beat me do you?" Scott goaded.

"Let's find out." Isaac ran for him, dodging Scott's arms and spear tackling him into the ground.

"_Isaac_!" His ears picked up as he heard his name being called in the distance.

Scott had obviously heard it too because he had stopped struggling despite Isaac being pressed against his chest.

"That would be Derek." Isaac said, staring ahead and through the trees.

"I know." Scott said.

Isaac looked down at him, their noses close to touching. For a moment neither of them said anything, they just lay there, staring at one another. Scott had stopped smiling, he just looked up, waiting for Isaac to say something.

Isaac swallowed and pushed himself off Scott.

"We better get over there then." He said, offering his hand to help Scott up.

"Yeah, probably." They walked side by side into the next clearing to see Derek's old battered house and everyone else already there.

Stiles and Derek were standing next to one another, unusually apart from one another. Derek raised an eyebrow at the two of them as they walked in.

"Dude, did you guys get lost or something?" Stiles said.

"What? No." Scott said, they were constantly here, how could they ever get themselves lost?

Not to mention, they were wolves.

"So why do you look like you belong in the woods?" Jackson said with an arrogance that was just about average for him.

Isaac looked confused and Erica rolled her eyes. "You're covered in crap." She said bluntly.

They looked down at themselves to see that they had bits of twigs and grass all over. Scott smiled over at Isaac who laughed right back.

"We were racing." He said.

"And I won." Scott beamed.

"No you didn't."

Stiles poked at Derek's stomach and he raised an eyebrow over at his silly trigger before grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him in for a kiss.

Allison hadn't shown up today, or at least she wasn't there yet so Lydia was talking to Boyd – who looked rather uncomfortable but wasn't going to say anything about it. He was just happy to have a group of people around him for once in his life.

Jackson was itching to get started and prove that he could go the night without being chained up. He watched as Derek and Stiles kissed for a minute, thinking it would stop but when it didn't he rolled his eyes and ground his teeth together.

"Hey, Homoeroticus, do you mind if I steal my alpha and get started already?" Jackson said with an overly obvious hint of annoyance in his voice.

Stiles pulled his lips away from Derek's. "Hey, that's Mr Homoeroticus to you." Jackson rolled his eyes and so did Derek before pulling himself out of Stiles' arms. Stiles smirked as he gave Derek a hard spank on his way over to Jackson. He stopped in his tracks and turned back with a glare. "Go get 'em tiger." He laughed.

Derek's glare just became more intense and Lydia laughed from over by the porch.

"Oh, sorry, go get 'em Sour wolf." He nodded with a little salute and Derek sighed, walking over to Jackson.

Isaac and Scott looked at one another before chuckling. "More like a perfect pair." Isaac whispered as quietly as he could.

"So you think you're ready for the full moon?" Derek stood square in front of Jackson as he asked the question.

"Well we've been doing nothing but training for two weeks so yeah, I think I can manage." He said arrogantly.

Derek just nodded to himself before swinging his fist into Jackson's jaw without warning. Everyone flinched and Jackson fell clean to the floor, standing up with blood dripping from his nose or mouth, or both, with an angry death stare in his eyes.

"Are you fucking _crazy_?!" He yelled in a voice that was more of a growl as his eyes flashed blue.

"You're not ready." Derek said.

"No shit you just punched me in the face!"

"It'll heal."

"You _are_ crazy!" He spat some of the blood out and onto the floor.

"Fine, you want to try it again? Give it your best shot." Derek put his hands on his hips and waited for Jackson to strike.

He wasn't going to give up on trying to get what he wanted but right now it was looking like Derek had walked into it with his mind made up. The full moon isn't something for them to take lightly and Derek was going to do everything in his power as the alpha to keep his pack safe.

No matter how angry it made them; well, some of them.


	7. Chapter 7

"By the way, 'Homoeroticus' isn't actually a word." Stiles smirked over at Jackson.

Jackson let out a low growl in his throat before he spun around to Stiles, his face twisted in the shape of his wolf, large canines shining in a thin veil of saliva.

In a brief instant Scott was standing with his arm across Stiles' body and Derek had grabbed Jackson by his shirt and was slamming him down into the dirt floor. He crouched down and held him into the ground with his hands firmly on his chest.

Boyd stood beside Derek, ready to move if Jackson broke away and Lydia let out a startled gasp. Erica grabbed Lydia's wrist, never taking her eyes off Jackson.

"Like I said…" Derek said through gritted teeth. "You're… not… ready!" He growled as Jackson struggled against him, his human face breaking through his wolf mask, covered in sweat.

He panted but didn't struggle, his eyes were frantic. "What's going on?"

Derek sighed and pulled his hands off Jackson's chest. He scampered up and walked over to Lydia who took a step back and looked at him with warning eyes.

"What?" He said.

"How about we vote on it?" Derek looked around at his pack a little cockily. "Who votes that we chain Jackson up for the night?"

Almost instantly every hand in the clearing shot straight up. Jackson threw his head back in annoyance and Erica looked over at Stiles with a roll of her eyes.

"You don't get a vote Stiles." She said with a sweet grin that was far from sincere.

"Hey if Lydia gets a vote then so do I." He said with a hint of attitude in his voice.

"I never said that she got one either." Erica said with a snide look to Lydia who shot back a glare.

"And who said that either of us care what you think?" Lydia fluttered her long eyelashes back at Erica and pouted her lips.

"I'm the alpha and I say who's a part of this pack and who isn't." Derek said, cutting through their bitter words. "Lydia is with Jackson and Stiles is a friend to the pack, so they're both included in this."

Erica bit her tongue and folded her arms. Stiles felt a little let down that Derek hadn't said the same thing about him that he had about Lydia. Wasn't he with Derek? Or did he just not like to admit it to anyone that he's actually with him?

"So what? That's it? I don't need to be chained up for the night!" Jackson said forcefully.

"We all had to do it our first time too, and the second. It takes a while for you to be able to control yourself in a full moon." Scott said.

"You can't even control yourself now, and the moon is still over two hours away. You should stay here until nightfall, and Lydia shouldn't stay with you tonight." Derek said.

"Don't you people keep saying that I'm immune to the whole teeth and claws thing?" She asked.

"Amusingly enough, yes." They all turned to see Peter standing in the doorway having somehow snuck up on them.

"Why are you here?" Derek asked.

"Well to help, obviously." He shrugged.

"Talk about amusing…" Stiles muttered to Isaac and Scott.

"I heard that." Peter gave him a charming smile and Derek snorted derisively.

"If you're here to help how about you go and get the chains set up in the basement?" Derek said.

"Why don't you give one of them the boring job, I think I'd be far better at teaching." Looked over at Jackson and smiled.

"Stay the hell away from me." Jackson spat.

Peter just rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll go downstairs and get it all ready for you." He grinned before heading back into the house.

"Did anyone know he was here?" Isaac asked.

Scott shrugged and Stiles just stared into the house after Peter with confusion written all over his face.

"I find that he's here a lot, you just won't notice him if he doesn't want to be seen." Boyd said.

"Sneaky bastard." Stiles said.

"You know he can probably hear you right?" Erica quipped.

"You know I actually liked you much better when you were human." Stiles said.

"You'd be the first one." She muttered, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I don't know, you just seemed nicer and a lot less sarcastic." He shrugged.

Erica laughed, "really Stiles? You're complaining about _me_ being sarcastic?"

"Both of you shut up." Derek snapped. "And Lydia, you may have some kind of immunity to the bite but that doesn't mean that he can't rip out your throat or tear you to pieces during a shift."

She pulled a face that let him know that he had a good point before folding her arms. "So is there anything that I _can_ do?"

"You can go and talk to Allison." Scott said.

Isaac rolled his eyes at Stiles who silently chuckled back. They were both sick and tired of all of the drama around those two. Were they together? Were they not together? At this point they were on some kind of break but who even knows what that means.

"I just meant to get an idea of what the hunters were planning for tonight." Scott shrugged.

Isaac thought that maybe she was a trigger for Scott but when he voiced the idea to Derek he scoffed and told him that it wasn't like that for him.

_"He's acting the way any teenager would act with their first girlfriend. Trust me, it's not a trigger." He said._

_"But how can you be sure?" Isaac had responded._

_Derek snapped shut the book he had been pretending to read and looked up at him. "Why does it matter?"_

_"I just want to know if there's anyone else who has the same problem that I do, that's all." He shrugged his shoulders a little._

_"I do."_

_"Yeah but you did something about it."_

_"I still don't recommend that." He went back to pretending to read._

_"So you regret giving in to the trigger?" Isaac leant against the table next to Derek's chair._

_"I didn't say that." He said, never looking up._

_"So what are you saying then?"_

_"I'm saying that I've had years of practice at controlling myself and you're less than a year old so I don't recommend that you stay too close to a trigger for too long."_

_"I'm controlling it a lot better now." He said to no answer from Derek. "Not that I'm going to act on it." Still nothing. "Are you sure Allison's not a trigger for Scott because he doesn't seem to be able to stay away from her, it's kind of like he can't control himself."_

_"Isaac – will I ever get any peace in this house?" He looked up at him with a sigh._

_Isaac tilted his head. "Probably not."_

_Derek groaned and threw his book onto the table. "To be honest; I'm not surprised that you can control a trigger and Scott can't control a few teenage urges. For one, he's not the best at doing what's good for him, and for another, he probably doesn't have the urge to maim Allison like you would for your trigger." Isaac went to speak up but realised that he didn't have an argument for that._

_Derek eyed him suspiciously before he heard Erica come stomping into the room._

_"Can you please come and tear Peter's limbs off his body? He's starting to hover around this place and I need space." She said._

_Derek rolled his eyes and clenched a fist, his knuckles cracking loudly. "This is_ my _house, why don't you all go back to your own houses?"_

Derek never took his eyes off Jackson after his outburst. He was worried that he would do something to one of his pack members, Stiles in particular. Sometimes his mouth could get him in a lot of trouble.

Everyone tried to tell Jackson that it was normal and that after a few months he wouldn't have to be chained up like an animal but that they all went through it. Of course he was too proud to admit that they were right but he knew it was true. It didn't help that everyone else wouldn't be down there with him.

"I'm devising a watch system. One person is with him at all times, not Lydia and not Stiles." He said.

Lydia had gone to talk to Allison, mainly to tell her that they were chaining Jackson up to keep him from doing any more damage. She was bound to be back soon.

"How about not the psycho freak either?" Jackson said, looking over at Peter who had made himself comfortable amongst the group.

He made a little cross symbol over his heart and acted like he was hurt by Jackson's words but everyone knew how sardonic he was being.

"He's here so he might as well help." Derek muttered. He looked up to the sky to see that the sun was getting low over the horizon. "Not long now."

Isaac and Scott sat together watching over Jackson as he waited for Lydia to get back.

"So what's going on with you and Allison?" Isaac asked.

Scott shrugged. "I don't know, I think she just needs space and stuff. I mean her mom died and she kind of lost it for a while. So I guess she just needs to be alone, like romantically, for a while. All of her friends are in the pack now so that's why she still comes down here."

"Maybe you should just try and move on, give her time." Isaac said.

"It's just hard when she's here and I see her and we make awkward eye contact. I bet she thinks that I'm just waiting for her to say she's ready to get back together."

"Are you?"

"No, well, I guess, but I'm not just following her around until she finally says yes to getting back together." He sighed and rested his head back on the tree.

Isaac could hear his heart beating faster as he spoke about her. The blood pumped through his body faster and he watched as Scott's pupils dilated while his mind raced over thoughts of Allison. He watched the features of his face move slowly, the way he sucked his lips into his mouth and wet them with his tongue, the way his eyebrows twitched as the memories changed, every little thing.

Lydia walked back into the clearing and called out to Derek. "Most of them are gone, the hunters, they left after Mr Argent told them that they weren't needed here anymore."

"What about the two of them?" Derek asked.

Lydia shook her head. "He wants to 'talk' with her. Something tells me that there won't be any stray arrows to watch out for tonight." She looked over at Jackson but kept her distance.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about that." Scott said as he turned to face Isaac. "Isaac?"

His eyes were glowing yellow before he shook his head and held his eyes shut. When he opened them they were back to normal again. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Scott smiled with a wink and his eyes flashed an identical golden colour. "Moon fever, I get it."

Derek held Stiles by the waist with one hand and the other clasped the back of his head tightly as he leant in to kiss him. He might not be able to say anything in front of anyone else but at least he wasn't afraid of a bit of PDA. Though, it was just that, a bit.

The kiss sent a rush of blood to Stiles' head and it was over far too soon for his liking.

"Wait…" He murmured as Derek pulled away from him.

Even though he could have gotten away from Stiles easily he let him catch his arm and pull him back into a hug.

"Stiles, I have a pack to maintain." He said, hugging him back only the slightest amount, looking around to see that no one was watching them.

"I know, it's just, it's a full moon. So, you know…" Derek pulled back, a hand remaining on Stiles' chest.

"Stiles, are you trying to say 'be careful'?" He said with a smirk.

He bobbed his head a little before stealing a kiss; a kiss that Derek let him take.

The corners of his mouth twitched as he nodded. "Yeah, I was."

Derek shook his head and craned his neck to let his lips gently brush over Stiles' cheek, his nose nuzzling his ear as he whispered. "Don't do anything stupid." His soft crooning voice made Stiles shiver a little, or that could have just been his hot breath against his ear.

Usually Derek only spoke to him like that during, other, activities.

"Well you know me, when do I ever do anything stupid?" Derek smiled, planting a kiss on Stiles' ear. "Aw, dude! Werewolf slobber…" He wiped at his ear and Derek rolled his eyes.

"You don't seem to mind any other time." He gave Stiles a raised eyebrow and an arrogant smile.

"Yeah well I can't afford that luxury at the moment, my sour wolf is on the line." Derek let out a groan at the sound of that name.

"Do you really have to keep calling me that in front of people?"

"Well maybe if you stopped acting like on I would stop calling you one." Stiles shrugged.

Derek narrowed his eyes. "You only said maybe."

"Yep, and I didn't mean it at all because you are so going to crack before I do." He grinned.

"In your dreams." Derek said with a shake of his head.

"Oh, I'm counting on it."

Derek looked up at the sky to see that the moon was very nearly up. He already had his blinders up, focussing on keeping himself in control.

"Isaac!" He spun around to see Isaac barrelling off into the trees and Scott staring after him.

"What happened?" Derek ran over to Scott.

"He just… his eyes were glowing one minute and the next he got up and just… ran."

Derek could hear Isaac's laboured breathing as he pelted through the woods and he reached out to grab Scott by the arm as he was about to follow him.

"No. You stay here and get Jackson in the chains, now, Boyd will help you. I'll go." Scott didn't look convinced but he turned to Jackson anyway.

Boyd grabbed him and Scott ran ahead to open the doors of the house.

"Hey, hey! I can still walk you know!" Jackson yelled.

"Derek!" Stiles called out.

He looked back at Stiles before running after Isaac. He already had a head start but Derek was faster, stronger, and his senses were more acute, especially now. He bounded through the branches and followed Isaac's scent until he saw him crouched over on his haunches panting heavily.

Derek just stood back and looked at him. When he looked up his fangs had come through and his eyes were glowing.

"How do you do it?" He said with a gruff voice.

"Do what?"

"With the moon; how do _you _control it?" He said.

"_I_ don't." He replied, not needing to ask.

Isaac panted through his clenched teeth; sweat beading on his brow as he pulled himself back to human. He collapsed as he gained the upper hand.

Derek held out a hand to help him up and he took it, standing up with a look that was crossed between pleading eyes and an apology. Derek clapped his hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, let's go for a run." He said.

Stiles and Lydia stood looking into the forest where they had entered.

"What do you think's going on?" Lydia asked.

"You know as much as I do." Stiles shrugged.

"Maybe Isaac doesn't have as much control as he thought." Erica chimed in.

"I'm sure he has more than you." Lydia smiled sweetly.

Stiles' message tone went off in his pocket and he fished out his phone.

**Tell Scott to keep Jackson in chains and give Boyd first watch. I won't be back until sunrise. Don't do anything stupid. – Derek.**

"Well that's weird." He muttered.

"What?" Erica asked.

He held up the phone to show her the message and she shrugged.

"Maybe he _can't_ keep control." She folded her arms and walked up the porch steps and into the house.

Stiles tried not to worry about Derek and Isaac, surely if something bad was going on he would have said more than what he did. Lydia wanted to see Jackson, she could hear him yelling from outside the house and Scott agreed with Boyd standing ready to tackle Jackson if it needed to happen.

She looked slightly horrified at the sight of him in chains but even more so when he extended to their length as he snapped his jaws and growled low in his throat. Stiles decided that the two of them didn't really serve any purpose out there, especially with Derek gone and Jackson in his chains so he drove Lydia home before heading back to his for some sleep.

At least Derek would be happy that he was staying out of it for once, not that there was much he could do anyway. Then again Derek wasn't answering any of his texts, even a voice mail that Stiles left him. It left Stiles feeling a little grumpy but that could also be his lack of sleep.

He stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed, stretching out for the first time in a few days. Derek usually takes up all the room. He stared out his window as he tried to fall asleep, the silvery glowing orb taunting him through the thin glass.

He felt so helpless; a human amongst a pack of wolves. They were all so much stronger and faster than him, he was gangly and clumsy and his eyesight was far from top notch. What good was he to them?

Everyone was something; werewolves, hunters, god knows what Lydia is, but she was something. He was… comic relief. Sometimes he felt like it was all he could do and now that they were all together as a pack he felt even more secluded.

All of those thoughts drifted in and out of his mind as he fell asleep staring out at the bright light from the full moon.

Stiles –

By the time morning came around I actually felt pretty good. It was nice to have the bed to myself again. Then again I felt a little cold because there was no Derek to keep me impossibly hot during the night.

I swear his body temp runs hotter than anyone else; ever. I stretched out in the sheets and rolled so much that I fell off the side of the bed.

"Ouch…" I mumbled to myself.

As I climbed up and started rubbing the sleep out of my eyes I saw a figure at the window and I swear I jumped a mile.

"Holy… Derek?" I said as I squinted through the soul piercing morning light.

He just gave me a look from the other side of the glass like 'who else would it be' so I walked over to let him in. I looked sheepishly down at the locked window and wondered how long he had been standing there. I flicked the latch and stepped back as he opened it and climbed in.

"Since when do you lock your window Stiles?" He asked, looking as perfect as ever in his tight grey shirt and leather jacket.

I hadn't even looked at the rest of him yet.

"Since it's a full moon and you know… baby werewolves running around and such. What was wrong with Isaac by the way?"

He shrugged. "It's a wolf thing."

I groaned. "It's always a wolf thing." I clapped my hands to my face and dragged them down my cheeks.

He looked me up and down and smiled. "Did you get all dressed up just for me?"

I realised then that I was almost completely naked and not to mention sporting some rather hard to conceal morning wood. With another sheepish grin I sat down awkwardly on the edge of my bed and crossed my legs painfully.

"I don't know what you mean." He chuckled and sat down beside me.

"Of course you don't." He said.

His face drew close to mine but I didn't move, I let him breathe in deeply, his eyes closed. He rested his arm on the bed behind my back and the feeling of him being so close to me was really not helping my situation.

When he opened his eyes they were glowing red.

"You… you know that… if something happens you'll lose the bet." I breathed, trying to think of anything else.

Brussel sprouts, my grandmother, Derek – no, not Derek! Uh… chemistry, blood… "Derek…" I mumbled unwittingly.

His hot breath was now in my ear as he whispered. "Nothing's going to happen… unless you beg for it." My breath caught in my throat as his lips gently nibbled at my ear.

I let out a few heavy breaths before smirking. "You wish sour wolf."

He grunted and lay back on my bed.

"You know if you want me that bad you could always beg." I grinned down at him.

He looked up with his eyes narrowing and pursed his lips. "Shut up Stiles."

I laughed and leant in to kiss him, that wasn't against the rules right?


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, so it's been five days since we made this bet and I am literally freaking out. How is Derek so damn good at this? I'm his _trigger_ and he is coping better than I am. Maybe that's because he is totally avoiding me.

Probably because he can't stand to be around me but damn it I wish he would. Why did I have to make this stupid bet? It's hard enough to keep him around without making him defend his pride.

Who am I kidding? He is never going to cave on this.

I was headed out to the mall to meet Lydia; for some reason she thinks now that I'm with Derek I want to go out shopping with her for shoes and crap. Not that I'm complaining, Lydia is… pretty amazing.

I know, Derek is pretty much the only one I want to be with but that doesn't mean that I don't still love Lydia. Like I said, she's amazing. Not to mention it drives Jackson crazy and whenever I hang out with her. I mean I know he could do some pretty serious damage to me but it's worth it. Plus, he's a hell of a lot nicer to her after she spends time with me than he normally is. I'm glad I can do that for her.

"He's just been staying completely out of the picture. He's so shifty; what is it with werewolves and being shifty?" I asked as she browsed through a rack full of dresses.

"I suppose they just get used to it." She said, never looking up.

"So what the hell am I supposed to do?" I leant against the rack, which made it quake so I jumped back.

"Isn't it obvious?" She paused and looked up at me.

I stared back at her and raised an eyebrow. "If it was obvious I wouldn't be asking you!"

She rolled her eyes and handed me the dresses that she had been slowly gathering. I was about ready to have an aneurism. Why can't she just come out and say what she meant?!

She trotted off to another rack and I just followed her, seriously about to go crazy.

"Are you really telling me that you have no idea how to manipulate a man?" She said.

"Well I've never had to do it so why would I?" I take back what I said about loving her. She's annoying and cryptic and I swear she's doing it on purpose.

"Take me for example, when I want Jackson to do something that I want, he does, but not without significant effort from me." I waited for her to continue but instead she picked up a skirt and held it against her hips.

"Lydia! English, _please_!" I said, my fuse shortening quickly.

She sighed and looked up at me. "You give him no other option other than to react." I was still staring at her blankly so she rolled her eyes again. "Jealousy, you make him jealous. If he thinks that something else is more important to you than him or that you want someone else then he is going to have to do something about it. If he doesn't, then he probably doesn't like you as much as you want him to." She shrugged, the dimples in her cheeks showing.

"That's your advice? Really?" I said.

She nodded and smiled with her cheeks. "Yep."

"Yeah, I don't even know if that'll work with Derek."

"It works with Jackson."

"Really? He doesn't just laugh and… snort derisively?" I asked sceptically.

She popped her hip and tilted her head at me. "I can promise you that he's hanging around here to see what I'm doing. Even Jackson gets jealous and you know that he's no good at controlling his emotions." She chuckled to herself and led me to the changing rooms.

"Do you seriously need all of these?" I asked as I hung them in her cubicle.

"Obviously, now get out so I can change." She shoed me with her hand and I shook my head as I stepped out of the dressing room.

Make him jealous? How the hell am I supposed to make Derek jealous? That is so not even going to work. He has far too much werewolf-itude to be affected by jealousy. Me on the other hand, now that is a different story.

_Hey SW am I going to see you later?_

I sent him a text just to see if he would reply. Naturally, Lydia had tried on half of her chosen items and he still hadn't replied.

_Hello? Stiles to Sour Wolf do you copy?_

I sent another, just for good measure. Nothing.

"Stiles!" Lydia hissed, poking her head out from behind the curtain.

"What?" I asked, spinning around to face her.

"I can feel the walls shaking from all that tapping you're doing. Cut it out!" Her head disappeared back into the changing room and I sighed irritably.

I get fidgety when I'm bored, or restless, though I suppose I wouldn't be restless if I wasn't fidgeting but maybe I just didn't take enough Adderall this morning. It could be that last one.

_Derek, starting to think you're avoiding me because you can't take the heat. A bit of challenge too much for your little werewolf butt to take?_

I pushed a little more, hoping I could get him to snap and reply.

"All done, you can hold on to these ones." Lydia practically threw a small pile of clothes into my arms as she dumped the rest on the counter with a rather annoyed looking retail assistant.

"Are you telling me that out of all of those clothes you only picked these ones? This is like, less than a quarter of what you had." I said, following her out.

"I had to be sure didn't I?" She shrugged and I snorted as we walked to the cash register. "I think we should get juices after this."

I think Lydia could use some of my Adderall.

"So, wait a minute, going back to what we were talking about before, are you saying that you dragged me all the way out here to make Jackson jealous?" I said, my train of thought wandering from Derek, to jealousy, to Lydia and back to Jackson.

"I… well…" She stammered for a moment before I dropped my jaw.

"I feel so used…" I shook my head and blinked slowly as she rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Well you're the one who needs to learn so maybe you should be taking notes." I was about to counter when I realised that she had a good point.

What is with Lydia and having pretty good points lately? I hate it when she's right, and she's almost always right.

She paid for all her crap, which looked the same as everything else she owns but whatever, and then we headed out to the food court for juice. I made her let me pay for hers, and trust me that was harder than it sounds, before we sat down and she picked up her phone to check her texts.

"Huh, what do you know? Two missed calls and a voicemail… I wonder who they're from." She muttered the last bit with way too much self-satisfaction.

I pulled out my phone to check if Derek had replied.

Not even a text.

Seriously? I mean really, come on.

"You know you've been checking that thing all day." She said as her thumbs tapped away on the screen.

I opened my mouth to say something, my eyes squinting as my brain overloaded with responses that were just plain stupid. I shut my mouth and slid down in my chair, my thumbs ready to give Derek a piece of my mind.

_Derek, answer my messages or I will begin to call._

_Incessantly._

_Derek._

_Oh Sour Wolf!_

_I'll give you one more chance before I hit the little green phone._

Sure I said I'd give him a chance but it was more like three seconds before I sent another text.

_Time's up, it's on SW._

I was about to click on his contact icon to leave him a strongly worded voicemail when I felt the phone buzz. I almost dropped it out of shock.

**STILES. I'm busy, quit messaging me.**

He can't seriously question my calling him Sour Wolf when he sends texts like that.

_What is so important that you can't even reply?_

**I just did.**

_That so doesn't count. What are you doing?_

_Derek?_

_Tell me!_

**If you don't stop making my crotch vibrate I swear I will turn the damn thing off.**

_Is that a challenge? And I thought you liked that ;)_

**Stiles, enough. I'll call you later.**

_Yeah, whatever SW._

He didn't even reply with a complaint about the nickname, or the fact that I abbreviated the nickname. What the hell was going on with him?

"Stiles?" I looked up at Lydia who was staring at me. "Are you okay?"

"What? Yeah, of course, why?" I put the phone down on the table and crossed my arms.

"You have a serious wrinkle in your brow and if you don't get rid of it soon it might end up being permanent." She smiled.

"It might end up that way anyway." I muttered.

"Lydia!" We both looked up to see Jackson striding over with Danny behind him.

He gave Lydia a grin before giving me a pretty shady look over. "Stiles." He said flatly.

"Jackson, what a lovely surprise, won't you join us for some sarcastic banter and condescension?" I said dryly as Danny and Lydia chuckled.

Jackson scowled at me before he sat down next to Lydia and possessively put his arm around her shoulders. Danny slumped into the chair beside me and gave me a smile.

"Shouldn't you be with your little boyfriend rather than out dress shopping?" Jackson asked.

"Sorry I missed that, was that condescension or sarcasm?" I said… obviously in a sarcastic way.

His nostrils flared and Lydia put a reassuring hand on his chest.

"Whoa, whoa, wait, boyfriend? Am I missing something here?" Danny said with a raised eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes a little and Lydia did a quick scroll through her phone gallery to find a picture she had taken of me and Derek. It was outside the old Hale house and I was being a bit of an idiot, as per usual, and Derek was looking away, clearly uncomfortable and as always he was broody as hell.

"Wait… I thought this guy was your cousin." Danny looked over at me questioningly and I almost forgot what the hell he was talking about but then it clicked.

I needed Danny to look up some info for me and sort of kind of used a shirtless Derek under the guise of him being my cousin to get him to do it. That was probably the first time I noticed just how fit Derek really is. I mean… he is… really into his ab work, I can tell you that.

Lydia and Jackson looked confused and I sighed. "Yeah, that was a little bit of a lie. His name is Derek and I was sort of harbouring his fugitive ass while he was on the run from the cops so lying seemed like a safer option than the truth."

"The cops being your father?" Danny grinned as if the whole thing was hilarious.

"I know it sounds like a ridiculous idea-"

"It sounds hot." Danny laughed and looked at the picture again. "Seriously though, how'd you land a guy like him? I mean dude, he looks like he'd rather kill you than screw you." He said, still staring at the picture.

I chuckled to myself a little, "you have no idea." I mumbled.

"But really, how did _you_ get a guy like _him_?" I snatched the phone away from him.

"Alright! I get it, he's hot and I'm… something." I said, not really knowing how to describe myself.

"Hey! I'm not saying you couldn't I'm literally asking for pointers." He grinned again and I let out a light laugh.

"I honestly have no idea."

"Maybe it's your pheromones." Jackson smirked over at me and I pulled a face back at him.

"Speaking of naturally occurring bodily secretions there is far too much testosterone floating about over here." Lydia pulled a disgusted face and stood up. "Watch my bags while I use the little girl's room won't you?" She kissed Jackson's cheek before she walked away.

"Why are you here?" I asked once she was out of earshot.

"To see my girlfriend." He said flatly.

"I thought we were catching up seeing as someone has been overly distant lately." Danny said.

"That too."

"You're totally jealous… you have no idea how hilarious that is for me." I laughed.

"I am not jealous." He said through gritted teeth.

"And of me, of all people, seriously, that's freaking hilarious." I grinned as I stared over at him.

Probably not a good idea to provoke him, what's that saying? Don't poke the bear? I guess it probably applies to werewolves too.

"Shouldn't you be out with your boyfriend or is he sick of you already?"

"If that's the case then do you think he'd be interested in me?" Danny beamed and reached over to take a sip of my juice.

"Dude…" I said and just put my hands up when he offered it back to me. "Keep it."

"I'm surprised you're not out with him, isn't he buying a new place?" He said.

If he is that's news to me. Surely he would have told me if he was doing something like that.

"I don't believe so, no." I said defensively.

"Oh really, so Isaac was… what? Misinformed by Derek about his visits to a real estate agent?"

"Isaac told you that?" I asked, suddenly not so sure about it all.

He would have told me if he was buying a place. Why would he tell Isaac and not me?

"Yeah, in fact I think Derek was supposed to be there… oh, look at that, right about now." He pointed to his watch.

I thought about it, he had been disappearing for hours at a time, not answering texts… maybe Jackson was right. I've got to talk to Isaac.

"Tell Lydia that this was fun and that she can always call me when she needs to vent out her Jackson troubles." Danny laughed and Jackson just snorted as I stood up and got out of there as fast as I could.

_Isaac – you and I need to have a little chat. Meet you at Derek's place in like 15. Stiles._

I felt the reply almost straight away as I headed to my jeep.

**_Why do I get the feeling I'm in trouble? See you there._**

_Isaac – _

I was waiting at the old Hale house for Stiles to arrive. I don't know exactly what he wants to chat about but something tells me that it has something to do with Derek.

What am I saying? Of course it does.

Derek told me not to tell Stiles about his house hunting and I didn't, I sent a text to Scott who must have mentioned something to one of the others because I made sure to tell Scott not to tell Stiles.

Okay, I don't want to try and think all of that through again.

I don't really know why Derek didn't want to tell Stiles about looking for a new place but I guess he has his reasons. He can be pretty closed in sometimes.

I probably didn't make things any better by blabbing, especially to Scott. I know he can't keep a secret, not one that doesn't really seem like a big deal anyway.

I heard the squeaking breaks on Stiles' jeep in the distance and walked down the porch steps to lean against the railing. When he pulled into the clearing he got out of the jeep and walked straight over to me.

"Is it true that he's looking for somewhere else to live?" He asked straight away.

"First of all, hi, and I'm fine, thanks for asking." He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Sorry, hi."

"Hi." I coughed a little but I figure there's no point in keeping it a secret anymore. "And yeah, he's looking for somewhere new."

His brow crinkled and he looked as though he was really trying to nut out why Derek hadn't told him.

"Look, all he said was not to say anything and I think that's just because he's a private person." I said.

"He told you didn't he?"

"That's… a good point, but we spent the whole full moon together so I guess he thought it was a way to keep the conversation away from awkward silence." I shrugged, trying to make him feel like it wasn't that big of a deal.

"Yeah and I spend most nights with him… not that we talk much-"

"Yeah, I'm going to stop you right there because trust me, I know exactly what you guys do when you're alone." He smiled cheekily.

"What did you guys talk about that night?" He asked and I could tell from the quickening of his heartbeat that he had been wondering about it since it happened.

"Nothing much, just… trigger stuff." I said.

I wasn't lying either. I mean we talked about a bunch of stuff to keep my mind focussed but we talked a lot about the whole trigger thing.

"Right, you've got the same problem that he has." He said.

I nodded. "Yeah, first full moon with a trigger and I was sort of having trouble controlling myself I guess. That's all. If he had said anything important about you then I would have told you. We're friends… I think." I wasn't really too sure about Stiles, me and Scott have become a lot closer these last few weeks and Stiles and I bonded over the whole hiding the relationship thing but I wasn't really sure that we were friends in that sense.

"Why wouldn't we be?"

"Well, I don't know, I guess I just didn't know if we were or not."

"Well I consider you a friend."

"Alright, cool. Good. That's… I'm glad we cleared that up." I said before we left room for an awkward pause.

Finally he said something. "Do you know where he is?"

I was going to say no but I couldn't lie to his face, not when he was giving me such a betrayed look with those big brown eyes. I sighed and nodded.

Derek was definitely going to tear into me for this.

Stiles and Isaac climbed into the jeep and Isaac gave directions to the agent that Derek had been going to. He apologised a few times for not telling him but Stiles wasn't blaming Isaac, he just wanted to know why Derek had wanted this to be a secret from him.

He specifically said 'don't tell Stiles' and he wanted to know why. They pulled up outside the store and Isaac looked inside.

"Yeah, I can see him in there." He said.

Stiles felt like a blind man next to a werewolf and his super-sight but he took Isaac's word for it. They hopped out of the jeep and walked over to one of the windows to peer inside.

There was Derek, sitting at one of the back tables chatting pretty comfortably with a pretty young girl who was going through something on a piece of paper. Stiles clenched his jaw.

_Look at how charming he's being! He is almost never that charming with me so why is he all smiles and flirting with her?_ He thought to himself.

"Uh, well I think my part here is done so I'm going to go for a walk, I'll be back here a bit later. Also, you might actually have to use the door if you're going to go and talk to him about it." Isaac said before clapping his hand, a little painfully, on Stiles' shoulder before looking around and walking off towards the path by the road.

Stiles had his eyes narrowed as he looked over at them, laughing and carrying on like it was just a casual coffee between friends. He walked away from the window and over to the front door, debating whether or not to go in.

"Hi there can I help you?" Stiles jumped at the perky voice of a middle aged agent, or at least who he assumed was an agent, how did she manage to sneak up on him like that?_ From outside_?

"Uh, I just saw… a friend of mine in there and I was thinking about going to say hi." He said.

"Well come on in." She opened the door for him and he stepped awkwardly through it.

Oh damn, now he would have to let Derek know he was here. Not that he needed to say anything, almost as soon as the door had opened Derek looked over to see him standing there. The familiar intoxicating scent invigorating his nostrils and there was no mistaking it.

The agent that he was talking with stopped to look over at Stiles, rather annoyed that he had interrupted their little chat.

"Derek, what a coincidence it is to see you here." Stiles said sarcastically.

"It's an oddity if anything, what are you doing here?" He said with a smile that stiles found almost creepily bright.

This was not the Sour Wolf he was used to.

"I was around and I saw you here so I thought I would come and say hi. What are you doing here? Buying a new place are you?" he said stiffly.

"We're in the middle of ongoing discussions, yes." The young brunette at the desk said curtly, a little annoyed to have been interrupted with the charming and sexy customer.

"Stiles, this is Amy, she's been such a great help." He grinned over to her and she practically melted.

Stiles pursed his lips and they exchanged pathetic little grimaces.

"I didn't know you were thinking of moving, funny how these things just uncover themselves isn't it." He grinned in a way that was so fake, it hurt.

Derek could see that this was not going how he wanted it to he turned to Amy with a smile. "How about I give you a call and we can figure out another meeting? I think it's about time I got going anyway." He said and she looked disappointed but agreed.

Derek grabbed his leather jacket off the seat and began to walk out with Stiles on his tail.

"She seems nice, totally desperate but nice." He said bitterly as they walked out the door.

"What are you doing here Stiles?" He said.

"I don't know Derek, maybe you could tell me." He turned around to face him as they stopped a few metres from the store.

Derek sighed. "Are you really that angry that I didn't tell you? What does it matter anyway?"

"Why wouldn't you tell me? Buying a new place is something I thought you might, I don't know, bring up in casual conversation." He said.

"It's in the early stages, I haven't even found a place I like yet."

"Is that because you're too busy admiring other things?" Stiles hissed and Derek gave him a confused look.

"What are you talking about?" He said.

"I'm talking about the insane amount of flirting you were doing with that girl back there. You actually had a smile on your face for once."

"Of course I was flirting, I want her to find me a good deal and charge me less on commission." Derek muttered back.

"Oh so that means totally hitting on her?"

Derek looked taken aback. This escalated quickly from his secret keeping to the flirting with the estate agent. Stiles wasn't confused anymore; he was completely jealous.

"I wasn't hitting on her, I was being nice. What do you think I'm going to do; start a relationship with her just to get a cheaper place?"

Stiles shrugged in a passive-aggressive way and Derek rolled his eyes.

"Would you come here?" He grabbed Stiles by the arm and dragged him back to the jeep in the nearly empty parking lot.

He opened the door and shoved Stiles into the middle before following him in.

"What?" Stiles said before Derek planted a hard kiss square on his mouth.

Stiles pulled back, it was his turn to look confused.

"What are you doing?"

"Jealousy looks good on you, it really does, but you have no reason to be jealous." Derek said, his legs pressed up uncomfortably to Stiles' in the small space of the front seat.

"I am not jealous of anything I'm pissed." He said.

"Stiles, you're jealous, and you know it." Derek said, the look of amusement way too obviously set on his face as his hand firmly rubbed up and down over Stiles' thigh.

"I am not jealous." He repeated.

Derek shook his head. "You are, and I wish you'd stop pouting so much because it's starting to get to me." Derek's hand pushed a little further up.

"There is no pout and I don't care if my face is making you angry." He retorted.

"Not angry, Stiles." Derek grabbed his wrist and pulled Stiles' hand into the throbbing erection under his jeans.

Stiles let out a sharp breath. "Oh…"

"Yeah, so do you believe me when I say that you have no reason to be jealous?"

"You could have been hiding that since we left the building." Stiles muttered and Derek shook his head.

"Only after you walked in." He dipped his head to kiss down Stiles' neck and for a second he gave in before pushing him back.

"I'm still mad at you for keeping this a secret." Derek groaned and leant back against the inside of the door, closing his eyes.

It's funny how the urge to kill coincides with such an incredible lust.

"But…" Derek felt Stiles running his fingers up over his thigh until they reached the hem of his shirt.

He slipped them under the soft fabric and tucked his fingertips into the waistband of his jeans until he could press his palm into the solid mass of heat that strained against the black denim. Derek let out another groan but this one had no undertones of annoyance.

Stiles pressed down gently and made circles with his hand as he leant in to kiss Derek's parted lips. They widened even more so that he could sate some of his hunger with a clash of tongues and teeth as his hand reached up to grab Stiles' side.

Both hearts were beating faster and it was almost inevitable that things were to be cut short by a knock on the front windscreen.

They pulled back quickly from one another to see Isaac smiling at them from outside. Derek rolled his eyes while Stiles leant over to wind down the window.

"You know it's not like your windows are tinted Stiles." He said cockily.

"I thought you went for a walk." He grumbled.

"I did but Scott texted me, there's a storm coming and I don't really want to be caught out in it and you're my ride so…" Stiles rolled his eyes and Derek made room for him to climb into the cramped back seat that almost never gets used.

Derek sat with his eyes closed in the front, trying desperately to rid his body of the desire that was just pulsating through it. Stiles grinned over at him as they headed back to his place.

"How you going Sour Wolf?" He teased.

"I hate you." Derek didn't open his eyes as he responded.

Stiles laughed. "I guess I'll have to get you jealous at some point right? You know, seeing as that seems to be a weakness of yours."

"_I_ don't get jealous. _You_ get jealous."

"Yeah, and it makes you hot and _so _much easier to break." Stiles grinned.

"You guys know that I'm sitting right here don't you? Because I seriously think that this is more of a private conversation." Isaac said from the back.

"What he means is 'shut up Stiles'." Derek muttered.

Lydia sure was right about jealousy and if it worked this well with Stiles being the one affected surely it would work far better if he could get Derek to feel envy.

Either way, he was going to get Derek to break; that was non-negotiable.


	9. Chapter 9

By the eight day mark Stiles was mildly agitated, if mildly was a synonym for substantially. He just wanted Derek to break already so that they could get back to being normal. Well, normal-ish.

Derek was still trying to find a new place and much to Stiles' annoyance that meant being all friendly with the girl at the real estate agent. He managed to find enough energy for a pout every time Derek spoke about his house hunting. Not only did Derek find it hilarious but Stiles' possessiveness and jealousy made him want to show him exactly why he had no need for it but he was far too proud to break first.

The problem with a bet like this was that both of them were as stubborn as each other.

Stiles lay on his couch, his legs draped over Derek who was reading a book he had found lying around. He had his laptop resting on his stomach and shuffled his weight around every few minutes to get comfortable. Every time he wriggled about Derek sighed before going back to reading.

On about the sixth time he slammed the book into his knees. "Stiles! Do you ever just sit still? If you can't get comfortable go and do it somewhere else." He huffed and Stiles shut the laptop.

"Calm down! What got into you?" He put the laptop on the floor and smiled over at Derek who just gave him a dark scowl before slowly going back to his reading.

Stiles was watching his eyes move from side to side and Derek could feel his stare burning into him.

"What are you doing?" He said, not looking up.

"Nothing why?"

"You're staring at me."

"How can you tell?"

"Stop it Stiles." He never looked up from the pages and Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He looked around the room, he was bored.

He sighed a little before a smiled crept onto his face. He inched himself a little to the left. He waited a few seconds before inching back to the right. He saw Derek clench his jaw and when he started to stretch himself out Derek threw his legs off of him and stood up.

"Seriously Stiles! Why do you have to be a constant annoyance?" He stared down at him and growled a little.

Stiles grinned and grabbed him by the arm to pull him down to the couch. Derek immediately crouched over him, his hips straddling Stiles' waist. He reached down to grab the hem of his shirt and pull it over his head. As he tossed it to the ground he raised an eyebrow at Stiles whose eyes had dropped for a second to admire Derek's naked torso.

"I know what you're doing." He said.

"Don't know what you're talking about." Stiles grinned.

"Uh huh." Derek leant in close, his hot breath fanning over Stiles' cheeks.

Stiles closed his eyes, his lips parted in anticipation of the kiss but instead Derek pressed his lips against his nose. He laughed as Stiles screwed up his face and opened his eyes.

Derek balled up Stiles' shirt in his hands and the tip of his nose was almost touching Stiles'. "Stop fidgeting." He said firmly before climbing up and walking out into the kitchen.

_Damn_, Stiles thought, _one of these days he just has to give in_. If Derek's willpower against his trigger was anything to go by then the two of them could be at this for a long time.

He grabbed his laptop and started browsing the internet again, lounging across the length of the couch. When Derek walked back in he held an apple in his hand with a large bite taken out of it. He sat on the floor in front of the couch and picked up his book in one hand to start reading again.

Stiles looked down at Derek with a smile, his fingers reaching out to run through his hair. Derek leant his head into Stiles' hand and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling.

Stiles was so close to making a comment about getting scratched behind the ears but he didn't want to ruin the moment. His fingertips trailed down the back of Derek's head and gently down his neck until his skin was licked with goose bumps.

"You going to come and sit up here?" Stiles said.

"Are you going to stop fidgeting?" Derek asked.

"Probably not." Derek sighed but stood up and pushed Stiles' legs aside to sit up on the couch. "Much better."

"Shut up Stiles."

_Tap, tap, tap_. Isaac looked up out of the corner of his eye. _Tap, tap, tap, tap_. His face betrayed his curious amusement as he tilted his head further towards the source of the sound. _Tap, tap, tap_.

"Scott…" He said slowly.

"Hmm?" Scott looked up at him with his doe eyes shining.

"What are you doing?"

"What? Nothing." Scott looked away but Isaac kept his eyes trained on him.

_Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap._

"Scott." Isaac said again and Scott just looked over. "You sure you're alright?" He smiled a little and Scott looked away.

The veiled smile on his lopsided jaw making his dimples reveal themselves. "Yeah I guess I'm just thinking."

"I can see how that would have you a little restless." Isaac grinned and Scott gave him a punch in the arm.

The two of them were sitting on the bleacher stands at the lacrosse pitch waiting for some of the guys from the team to show up for some off season practice. It's not like any of them really needed to, and they aren't really going to get unfit in the few months of summer break but it was just something fun to do.

Boyd and Stiles weren't coming. Stiles was spending some quality time with Derek and Boyd was… well, nobody knew much about what Boyd was doing but he just decided not to come along.

"About Allison." Scott shook his head and Isaac gave a slow nod before turning away. "I just don't know whether I should keep trying to talk to her or let her have her space, you know?"

"I think that you need to stop thinking about it. Clearly it's not good for you." He smiled and Scott just shook his head. "Seriously though, just stop thinking about it. I'm not saying move on, I'm just saying try not to worry about it. Wait for her to come to you."

"But what if she doesn't?"

"Scott, she will, sooner or later she will. You know that." He nodded a little and Isaac heard Jackson's pristine car pull up. "Come on." He grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him up.

They walked out onto the middle of the field and Jackson started walking towards them with Danny by his side.

"Please don't tell me it's just you two." Jackson said and the two boys just rolled their eyes at one another.

"Do you ever stop complaining?" Isaac asked.

"Not when I'm around the two of you." He said.

"He's just cranky because Lydia won't let him out tonight." Danny laughed.

"What? Don't tell me she's got you on a leash Jackson." Isaac said and Scott howled with laughter.

"She's definitely got her hands held tightly onto something." Danny said.

A few of the other guys showed up and they got into small teams to play. Naturally, the three _super_naturals went harder at one another than they did at the others. They could heal from injury and endure a whole lot more, not like a human body.

Jackson went especially hard for Scott and Isaac not because it was all just a game within a game but because he wanted to prove a point. He wanted them to see that he was just as powerful, if not more. The problem with that was that Isaac and Scott played as a team, both of them against Jackson.

Danny yelled to start from goals and Scott rammed Jackson into the ground as Isaac scooped up the ball and passed off to Mitch on the wing. Jackson got up and shoved Scott back, only to get one back from Isaac.

The two of them grinned at one another through their masks, their yellow eyes glowing like the first time they met on the field. Jackson could see what they were doing and he hated it. It gave him some arrogance to think that it took two of them to play on just him but mostly it pissed him off.

They kept at it, niggling slowly and only slightly until one centre grab Isaac looked up with enough time to see Jackson's glowing blue eyes before he was drilled straight into the ground. His head whipped back and crashed sharply into the ground causing him to get dizzy. The air in his lungs was forced out of his body as Jackson landed heavily on his chest.

Everything around him seemed to blur in and out of focus as someone wrenched Jackson off him.

When he took a breath in it was almost easier than it used to be, like someone had stopped crushing his chest and he didn't just mean Jackson. Something was different, something had changed but he couldn't quite figure out what.

"Isaac?" His eyes fluttered as he brought himself back.

Scott's hand was squeezing his shoulder and a cloud of other faces were surrounding him.

"You know guys it's not even pre-season, you don't have to go so hard." One of the guys said.

"I'm okay." Isaac said as he accepted the hands of Danny and Scott to help him up.

"You should come out tonight, get a drink, I think you'll need it after that bump. That was brutal man." Danny looked at Jackson and grinned.

Jackson just shrugged.

"Where are you guys going?" Scott asked.

"Party, it's going to be big so just bring a group. You know you can bring Lydia right?" he looked back at Jackson who shrugged again.

Scott looked over at Isaac who was still shaking off the bump on the head. "What do you think?"

"What else would we be doing?" He said, squinting.

"Tell Stilinski that he can come along too, the more the better." Danny said. "Anyway, I think that's enough for one day, I don't want one of you three to break my neck when I'm good and ready to go out and have some fun." He headed back over to the bleachers to get his gear while the rest of them did the same.

"Nice bump, you play dirty, but nice." Isaac said to Jackson and Scott rolled his eyes.

"Don't start complimenting him or you're going to regret it." He groaned.

Stiles had managed to stay still long enough for Derek's liking as they lay on the couch. Derek had even resorted to stroking his leg as he read. As he did so he felt the jeans begin to vibrate under his hand and looked over at Stiles who was grinning awkwardly at him.

"It's… just a text." He said as he shifted his weight annoyingly to fish it out of the depths of his pockets.

Derek shook his head as he turned back to the paper pages, a small smile trying not to grace his lips.

**_Going out 2 a party 2night, you in? Derek can come if you want. – Scott_**

Stiles looked up at Derek after reading the text and tilted his head. He probably wouldn't want to come but Stiles sort of wanted to go out with Scott and most probably Isaac as well. The more time he spent with Derek the closer friends Scott and Isaac became and he was not going with get muscled out of the role of butt-kicking super-sidekick by that skinny weirdo. Okay, so he really liked Isaac, he was a top notch guy, but that didn't mean that he was going to get the title of 'best bud' to Scott.

Not on Stiles' watch.

"Hey Derek?" Stiles said tentatively.

"Still not going to rub your shoulders Stiles." Derek said without looking up.

"Not that, I was just going to say that there's a party tonight." He shrugged a little and looked over expectantly at Derek.

He looked over at Stiles with just his eyes. "What's your point?"

"Well… I was … I thought… well-"

"Stiles."

"You want to go?"

Derek just looked at him blankly before answering. "Why would I want to go to a party full of teenagers?"

Stiles felt a little defeated at how blunt Derek was and how fast he answered. "Geez that was quick, and you can't say that when you made a _pack_ of teenagers. You don't even want to think about it?"

"I don't really need to." He said.

"Yeah, that was about what I expected but I thought you might try and soften the blow there." Stiles sat up on the couch and tossed the laptop aside.

"You really don't know me do you?"

Stiles sighed and Derek placed his book on the floor before reaching over to put his hand on Stiles' thigh. He slipped his other arm around his shoulders and leant in close to his pouting face.

Stiles tried to keep himself from looking into Derek's glowing eyes but he found it more difficult by the second. He screwed up his eyes and looked ever so slightly over at Derek.

He dipped his head down to lightly peck Stiles' lips with his. He pulled him in a little closer, hearing his heartbeat rise the second he slipped his tongue part way into his mouth. Derek's nose brushed against Stiles' cheek before he pulled away.

"You go, I have some things to take care of." He said.

Stiles knew that it was probably a lie and that all he had to do was finish that god damn book but he nodded anyway, knowing that it was stupid of him for even asking.

"Like what?" He said, trying to change the subject.

"Patience is a virtue Stiles."

He snorted and Derek narrowed his eyes. "Says the big bad wolf."

"Well you do look like you're going for a 'red riding hood' thing here Stiles." Derek gave a tug on the red hoodie that hung loosely off his skinny frame.

"Clever." Stiles muttered before Derek laughed and kissed him.

"Your dad is back."

Stiles strained his ears trying to hear the cruiser pulling up in the driveway and it took a good five seconds before he could even make out the faint hum.

"Your hearing is freaking crazy." He said, looking down and realising that Derek was still shirtless. "Oh my god can you please put your shirt back on before he gets in here?"

Derek raised an eyebrow. "You don't want him to get the wrong idea?"

"Exactly, so…" he gave him a shove in the chest but Derek didn't budge.

"You realise that we're not even doing what he'll think we were doing?" Derek tried to lean in and kiss Stiles on the shoulder but he was pushed straight back, Stiles looking a little panicky. Derek laughed. "Have it your way."

He moved so torturously slowly that Stiles actually stood up and tried to push him towards his shirt. Derek just laughed and picked it up, shaking his head. The sound of keys in the door made Stiles get all jumpy and weird and when his dad walked in he looked into the lounge room with a perplexed expression.

"Hey dad…" Stiles said with a half grin.

"Hi Sheriff." Derek said from the couch, fully clothed and book back in hand.

"Hey boys… Derek, do you know what's wrong with my son? He seems a little jumpy." He pulled off his jacket and hung it up on the coat rack.

"He looks normal to me." Derek said.

Stiles sighed and shook his head at Derek and the Sheriff laughed.

"I suppose you're right. Are you staying for dinner Derek? It'll probably just be pizza." He pointed to the kitchen.

"Sure, thank you."

"Since when do you stay over for dinner?" Stiles hissed.

"Since Isaac and Boyd and Erica _and_ Peter are taking over my house." He grumbled.

"Right."

Derek stayed long enough for the Sheriff to order a couple of pizzas and weird out at offering Derek a drink. It was still strange to see his son dating a _guy_, let alone a guy almost six years older than him. Still, past possible indiscretions aside, Derek seemed like a decent guy.

Stiles was half way through his pizza when he got another text from Scott.

**_Come over, we're leaving soon._**

"Uh, dad, I'm going out tonight and probably won't be back until tomorrow, there's this party…" He trailed off as he took another bite and Derek looked over at the Sheriff.

He nodded, "Okay, you can call me if you need anything."

"Dad…"

"Alright, alright. Is Derek going with you?" he asked.

"No, it's not really his scene." Stiles said as he wiped his mouth and got up from the table. "Scott wants me to come over now; I think they're leaving soon."

He grabbed his phone off the table and put it in his pocket as he looked around for his wallet.

"Sure Stiles, just don't do anything stupid, okay?" the Sheriff said with a warning look.

"You know, the two of you should hang out more often." Stiles pointed to Derek and his dad. "Do you want a ride back?"

Derek shook his head, "No, I'll take off when you leave."

"I'm leaving now." He said.

"Well then I'll help your dad clean up before I leave." He said through gritted teeth.

"Is everything okay?" the Sheriff seemed a little uncomfortable but didn't get up to leave.

"He's just… frustrating." Stiles groaned before throwing his hands up. "I'm just going to go, so you guys enjoy your night or whatever." He really did hope that Derek was leaving soon because the last thing he needed was Derek and his dad becoming buddies of some sort.

That would just be weird.

"Have fun, and stay safe!" the Sheriff called after him as he waved from the door. "Honestly I don't know how you manage to keep up with him."

Derek chuckled a little. "Did you need a hand with anything?"

"Oh no, I'm fine, it's just a few boxes anyway." The Sheriff stretched out in his chair and rubbed his eyes.

After a few moments of silence Derek turned to face him square on. "Sheriff, I was wondering if I could ask you something."

He looked confused but shrugged in response. "Sure, what's going on?"

_Stiles – _

"Is he seriously still getting ready, aren't you werewolves supposed to be super-fast or something?" I said as we waited for Scott to put on some clothes.

Seriously, I didn't even change, I just spritzed myself with the aftershave I keep in the car and left.

"He's… yeah, I don't really have an answer for you." Isaac said before Scott walked down the stairs.

"I can hear you guys from up there and I had to change my shoes, the other ones had a pretty big hole in the side." I rolled my eyes.

"Alright, come one then. If I have to drive your little werewolf butts everywhere then you need to be on time." Scott laughed even though I was mostly serious. "Where is this place anyway?"

"Someplace in the north of town, I think it's one of Danny's friends' houses." Isaac pulled a face like he had confused himself, which wouldn't surprise me.

"Just so long as you can get us there in one piece and before tomorrow, that would be good." I said as we headed out.

"Shotgun!" Scott called and raced to the jeep.

"Okay, seriously, stop doing that!" Isaac yelled and I shook my head at the two of them before we squeezed into the tiny jeep and headed off.

"So why exactly are we here?" I asked as we headed up to the house at the end of a long driveway.

There was a loud beat pumping from somewhere inside and people were laughing and talking outside.

"We never do anything and Danny invited us so… why not?" Scott said as we walked around the side of the house and through the groups of people.

"I think I see Jackson and Lydia." Isaac pushed past a couple who were making out copiously.

Actually I don't know if it was making out or whether he was trying to eat her, face first. Lydia looked awesome as usual; I think I recognise that skirt from when she dragged me out shopping. Damn it! Why is _that_ the first thing I notice now?

"I guess you were allowed out then?" Scott teased and Jackson turned away, ignoring him.

"What you drinking Lydia?" I asked and she looked down into the cup.

"I don't even think I can grace it with a name of its own." She pulled a face but took a sip anyway.

"Stiles!" I spun around to see Erica walking towards me with two cups in her hands.

She handed me one and I took it reluctantly. "I didn't know you were going to be here, I would have stayed home."

She growled a little but went straight back to smiling before she took a sip of her drink. I did the same and almost spat it back out. What the hell is that? Oh my god…

"Did you just give me a cup of gasoline or something?" I made a vomiting sound and Lydia nodded over to me.

"I think you hit the nail on the head there." She muttered.

Danny came over to say hi and steal Jackson away for a while, much to Lydia's annoyance but she managed to find something to talk about with Erica. Boyd was hanging out with some random guy; he must know him from somewhere. Is the entire pack here apart from Derek? Derek who still refused to budge on this bet.

I regret making the damn thing now, why do I have to talk in my sleep?

I was with Isaac and Scott for a while, standing around and laughing, talking to some of the people here, they're from another high school mostly but I could see plenty from Beacon Hills High.

The gasoline-like substance that we've been drinking has definitely gotten to my head, I feel a little tipsy. I left the two guys to go and grab myself another drink from the large constantly changing punchbowl in the kitchen. Seriously, I think people just keep pouring various bottles of alcohol and god knows what else.

That was probably the first sign I should have taken to stop drinking it but I'm not really in the right headspace to refuse it right now.

As I filled up the cup for a fourth time tonight I felt someone stand beside me.

"Do you mind pouring me another cup?" I turned to look down at the girl who was smiling up at me.

"Yeah sure… whoa…" I did a double take when I saw her eyes, one was green and one was blue in a pretty obvious way. "Your eyes are so cool, are they contacts?"

She giggled a little and flicked back her long brunette hair. "Nope, I just have awesome eyes, it kind of runs in my family."

"Well that is super, insanely cool." I said as I took the cup from her and filled it up.

"I'm Karissa by the way." She said.

"Stiles." I said with a smile and a large gulp of my drink.

Huh, it's a little sweeter than last time. It's not too bad. She must be thinking the same because she took a sip and looked down at the drink with a content look on her face.

We started talking a bit about school and what we're going to do over the summer break. She seems like a nice girl, a beautiful charming girl. I didn't really want to stop talking to her actually, it was weird. At least I could try and use this as a way to make Derek jealous. Maybe he would finally know how it feels.

I felt some kind of stirring in my stomach that kept me interested, not wanting her to go back to her friends. I was transfixed by her eyes, they were just so strange. I hardly even noticed the fact that she asked me to dance, before I knew it I was on the dance floor, completely and utterly intoxicated.

_Isaac – _

Scott and I were standing around, pretending to dance but not really doing much. Neither of us really know how to dance, actually we kind of suck at it. Stiles had been gone for a while and I had no idea where he was. I didn't really mind, he was probably enjoying himself.

Erica and Boyd came walking over, Erica with a very amused expression on her face.

"This has got to be trouble." I said to Scott who grinned up at me with those big brown eyes.

"Have either of you seen Stiles lately?" Erica said.

"No, he went to get a drink didn't he?" I looked over to Scott who nodded.

"Yeah he went into the kitchen."

"Well you'll never guess where he is now." She grinned and we looked at one another, then at Boyd who nodded his head in the direction of the newly established dance floor.

Standing at its edge was Stiles, his body pressed up against a skinny brunette who was staring up into his eyes. That's not right. What is he doing?

"Has he completely forgotten about Derek?" I said.

"That's not like Stiles; he wouldn't do something like that." Scott said.

"Well I think he better sort himself out soon." Erica said.

"What? Why?" I asked.

Erica was staring off into the doorway to the room and I followed her gaze until I felt my stomach drop. Derek was standing there with a very dark glare on his face.

"Guys…" Boyd said.

The rest of us stared at Derek who is probably going to rip out the throats of everyone in this room. What is he even doing here?

"Stiles wouldn't do something like this, there has to be something else going on." Scott insisted.

"Uh, guys…" Boyd said again.

"Does it matter if it's out of character? I don't think it matters to Derek right about now." Erica said.

"Hey!" We all spun around to look at Boyd who was pointing to Stiles and the girl.

Her lips were on their way up and Stiles was frozen, he wasn't moving away or trying to stop it and Derek was striding over there pretty furiously.

Yeah, Stiles is a dead man.

Derek was irate. He was livid. What in the hell was Stiles doing?

He walked over to the pair and interrupted them as they were just getting cosy. The girl pulled back to stare at Derek but Stiles didn't move for a moment.

"Um, can we help you?" She said.

Stiles shook his head and when he turned around he blinked a few times before his eyes opened wide. He looked around and then over at the girl with a look of almost horror.

"Stiles, what are you doing?" Derek said, a calm façade hiding the rage that was basically boiling him from the inside out.

"Hold on a minute, who are you?" The girl said, more confidence than she probably should have had.

"I'm with him." He said flatly before turning to Stiles. "Get outside, now." He said through gritted teeth.

Karissa looked from Stiles to Derek but when Stiles looked away from her to leave she rolled her eyes before leaning against the table. She didn't argue anymore and Derek could have killed her with his gaze before following Stiles out.

They passed the gawking faces of the other pack members. Scott mouthed a 'what are you doing' to Stiles who shrugged, seriously unsure as to what exactly had just happened. The two of them walked outside and when Stiles turned around to talk to Derek he found himself being slammed into the closest car, painfully.

"Ouch! Derek-"

"Shut up, shut _up_ Stiles. Don't say anything, just go and get into the car." Derek growled, his eyes glowing bright red.

"I drove my jeep here, I can't leave it." Derek's face had contorted into a wolf mask and he shoved Stiles harder into the car.

"So give the keys to Scott." He said in a gruff voice that actually scared Stiles a little. "You have one minute."

He let him fall to the ground and went to stand by his Camaro as Stile stood up and ran back inside.

"Oh shit, oh shit, _ohh_ shit." He mumbled.

What the fuck happened? He couldn't even remember. The last thing he could remember was talking to Karissa about her eyes and then nothing until Derek interrupted. What had he seen? What had he done?

"_Oh shit_."

He headed inside and found Scott who was freaking out a little.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" He hissed.

"I don't know, I, I don't know what happened. I need you to take my keys, Derek is outside and he is seriously pissed."

"I'm not surprised!" He said.

"You're not driving, let Isaac do it." Stiles said as he ran out of the house to get to Derek's car.

He saw him sitting silently in the driver's seat, looking more menacing than if he had been yelling. Stiles got into the passenger seat and gulped.

"Derek…" He said softly.

"You don't say anything. Nothing. Just shut up." Derek said as he started the car and began to drive erratically away.

If the car ride didn't kill him, surely Derek would when they got back. He was mad, sweating and almost shifting mad, and Stiles was starting to think that going out to a party and talking to a girl to get him jealous had been the worst plan ever.


	10. Chapter 10

_Stiles – _

Oh my god, I am definitely going to die tonight.

We're almost at the house in the woods and Derek has not taken his eyes off the road or said a word since we left. I'm actually starting to panic, he's never been so quiet and I don't know if saying anything will make it better or worse, plus, I feel kind of nauseous. My head is spinning and my stomach is turning and I think that drinking was a bad plan because now I have no idea what is going on.

I looked over at Derek, his nostrils flaring and eyebrows furiously creased, and gulped. "D…Derek?" I said.

He didn't reply, like, not even a flinch.

"Derek I just-" I was cut off when he stopped the car suddenly.

We were back at the house and he was already getting out of the car. I figured that he probably wanted me to follow seeing as he brought me here, but maybe that was just taking me away from the situation… whatever that was.

I keep trying to replay everything but it's like I have a black spot in my brain. I don't know how much time elapsed inside it but it's there and it's driving me crazy! What the hell did he think he saw?

I climbed out quickly and ran after him. When I got to the door he was already walking up the stairs so I knew where he was probably headed. I ran through the door to the bedroom and looked around but he wasn't there.

"Derek?!" I called.

The door slammed behind me and I turned to see him standing there, his eyes glowing and his face about a gazillion times as scary as I've ever seen it.

"Derek, listen to me, I-" he silenced me by lunging forward, taking my head in his hands and slamming his lips into mine.

It was a painful crushing kiss that could almost have broken teeth and definitely made my lip bleed. His mouth didn't open, he didn't move his lips, he just kissed me with his brute force before pulling back and looking at me with his hungry eyes.

If looks could kill I don't think there'd be anything left of me because the way he was staring as he pulled off his jacket made my heart pound. He reached forward and grabbed my shirt roughly before pulling it over my head without much care and tossing it away. His clawed hand flattened against my chest before he shoved me back onto the bed.

I swallowed hard as he pulled his belt out of the loops and threw it away. I didn't know what to do with myself so I just scurried back onto the bed and after throwing his shirt on the floor with mine he climbed over me. I could hear the snarling in his breath and for the first time in a long time I felt genuinely scared of what he could do to me.

I could tell that he was only just holding off a shift so his animal side was rampant. His hot lips found my neck and he buried himself there, his tongue gliding over the fast-pumping jugular as his hips ground into mine.

My body couldn't help but respond, it's only been eight days but I've missed this feeling. I've missed having him come after me, not quite as angrily as this, and my body was aching for him to touch more of it.

He rolled me over quickly, clearly there was no time to waste and I wasn't going to stop him as he began pulling down my jeans. For a moment I was worried that he was going to hurt me, the way he was going if he didn't slow down I was in for some serious pain but he was the same as ever.

He pressed himself against my entrance and pushed himself in only slightly, my hands balled up the sheets as I tried to keep myself up. As he urged himself deeper I reached back to grab his thigh and dug my nails in. I heard him growl but it wasn't out of pain.

It was only when our bodies had warmed up to one another that he started to pick up the pace. His quick strides changed into slow forceful thrust as my body felt a mixture of pain and pleasure as he hit the spot that needed him most.

His hand reached around to close on my rigid shaft and I couldn't help but cry out. My head was spinning before but now it was whirring, making the room feel like it was anywhere but here.

I had to take my hand off Derek to hold myself up as I felt myself nearing a release and when it finally came I heard him growl with content as I tightened around him. It didn't take him long to join me in ecstasy. He used my shaking body to hold himself up as he recovered from his violent gratification.

When he pulled out of me I collapsed onto the bed and rolled onto my back, my eyes closed as I waited for the room to stop spinning. With a smile plastered on my face I let out a few heavy breaths.

"Well I guess that means that I-" I was cut off by the slamming of the door and when I sat myself up, Derek was gone.

I got up quickly on my unstable legs and buckled up my jeans as I looked for my shirt. I scooped it up off the floor and pulled it over my head as I went looking for Derek. I didn't have to go far.

He was sitting downstairs on the old wooden table resting his elbows on his knees and looking darkly down at the floor. I just wandered in and stood a few metres in front of him before he spoke in a relatively calm voice.

"You want to explain what happened tonight?" He looked up with an unreadable expression.

"Honestly Derek, I don't know, I think-"

"How can you not know Stiles? It wasn't even an hour ago that it happened!" He raised his voice a little.

"I know Derek but it's like someone had taken an eraser to my brain, I think someone might have spiked the drinks… If I had to say anyone I'd say it was Erica…" I muttered the last bit, figuring that it wasn't beyond her to do something like that.

"Are you telling me that you're blaming Erica for the fact that you almost had your tongue down some girl's throat?" His nostrils flared and I shook my head.

"You know I was being sarcastic about Erica."

"Pick your moments Stiles because I don't think this is all that funny."

"Oh, so you're not okay with sarcasm at a time like this but you're perfectly happy to screw me into submission?" I said.

"You're a _trigger_ Stiles it was that or kill you and while I did consider both of them very carefully I thought I'd go with the one that was easier to clean up!" He growled.

"You don't have to remind me that I'm just a trigger to you alright? You make that clear enough as it is."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that all I am to you is some little scented doll that you can tote around with you wherever you please and treat however you want!" I said, raising my voice.

"When in the last few weeks have I said to you that all you are to me is a trigger? You're the one who keeps pasting yourself with that label Stiles. Stop trying to get around the fact that you crossed a line tonight." He stood up and pointed his finger at me accusingly and I scoffed.

"And what about you and the real estate girl?"

"What about it?!"

"You can flirt with her as much as you want and I'm supposed to just sit back and watch like an obedient little love-hound?" I was starting to get pissed off, he never thought about my feelings, only about how he feels.

He's selfish and self-absorbed and I was starting to feel like he really did want me to just do what he says and keep quiet, he tells me to shut up enough.

"There's a difference between friendly banter and grinding yourself into someone else! I'm not talking about your pathetic jealousy here I'm-"

"Oh, so I'm pathetic now?" I threw my hands up and I could see him clenching his fists. "I'm the one who's pathetic? How about how pathetic it is that you try and defend yourself when I say I'm just a trigger to you but you don't do anything to make me think otherwise? I mean come on Derek you don't even know anything about me, not really!" I glared at him accusingly and he sort of stared back with his jaw hanging a little low.

"I don't know anything about you?" He said.

"No you don't, you never ask me anything. Go on, tell me something about me." I challenged.

He relaxed his shoulders and folded his arms. "Your favourite colour is blue-"

"Colour's a cop out-"

"Your favourite colour is blue, it calms you down when you get too overexcited. You're starting to grow out your buzz cut, it's too long for you to be sticking with it and you've cut the sides shorter than the top. You get worried that Isaac is going to get in the way of your friendship with Scott because they're getting so close. He's like your brother Stiles, he's not going to forget about you. You worry about your dad when he gets in late, you know how I can tell? Because you stay awake some nights until you hear the car pull up in the driveway just to make sure that he gets home safe." I swallowed hard again, he wasn't even flinching between each sentence and his expression was shifting as he spoke. "You're completely obsessed with your jeep and before you tell me that everyone knows how much you love your jeep just listen. You love that thing because a jeep is the first car your mum ever had and you begged your dad to let you have one for your first because you wanted to feel safe even when you weren't at home with your dad." My eyes were watery and my lips were parted.

"How did you…" I said softly.

"I've spent some time with your dad Stiles and you tend to be a topic of conversation, plus there's a picture in your hallway of your mum and dad standing in front of a jeep, it has to have been taken almost twenty years ago. I guess I don't know anything important about you, huh?" I looked away from him. I couldn't stand his burning gaze. "So what is it exactly that you know about me, hmm?" He said, to which I replied with silence. "That's what I thought. So since I'm such a despicable, selfish person I'm going to leave. You can stay here or you can call someone to get you. It's good to know what you really think of me." I looked up and into his eyes and all of a sudden it hit me.

Too bad it hit me when he was on his way out. He pushed past me and I tried to grab him but missed.

"Wait… Derek wait!" I called, following him outside.

He didn't say anything but my heart was racing as I tried to call him back inside. As the cold wind hit me I froze for a moment, only a moment but long enough for him to get into his car and start the engine.

There was no stopping him now, he was off and in little over a few seconds he was gone.

Derek wasn't angry, and he wasn't jealous, he was hurt. I saw it in his glassy eyes as he said all of the things that I had made him feel.

Oh my god… I broke Derek Hale.

I didn't have a car to follow him with, I knew he probably wasn't going to answer his phone. I called him a few times and left him voicemail messages but I have no confidence that he will call me back.

I am such an idiot! Sometimes I wish if he was feeling like that he would just tell me but he doesn't… or can't, I don't know. I just want him to come back so that we can sort this out.

Maybe he just needed time to cool off. I headed into the bedroom to try and get some sleep but it was almost impossible. I couldn't stop thinking about all the things that he said and everything that he knew about me. Clearly he was paying more attention to me than I thought he was. Why does he have to be so closed off?

I didn't sleep much at all, I was worried about him. I had no idea if he was going to do something reckless or what. I guess he can look after himself but that doesn't stop me from worrying. The look in his eyes when I said all of those things to him gave me a pain in my chest. I instantly knew that I had made a mistake in snapping at him.

It was all so much clearer now; it was me who kept saying that all I was to him was a trigger. I mean maybe at the beginning he had said it but not in a long time.

How am I supposed to know that he actually cares if he does all of his getting to know me in secret?

Like I said, I didn't get much sleep. I ended up going downstairs to the old couch to try and sleep, even if it was a little cold I didn't care, I wanted to be right there when Derek got back. It was mid-morning when I stirred after hearing a car pull up outside.

I leapt up and ran to the door, tripping over my feet a few times on the way. "Derek?" I called.

My heart sank when I saw Isaac getting out of the jeep and heading this way.

"Damn it!" I cussed.

I kicked the door frame and ran my hands over my face in frustration.

"He left you here?" Isaac asked.

"Yeah he left me here, we had an argument and he left after I was a jerk-wad, okay? So he's gone and I don't know how to find him because he won't answer his phone and I don't have any supernatural wolfy powers so basically yeah, he's gone."

"Whoa, whoa, calm down Stiles. He'll be back, you know he will." Isaac said, trying to calm me down.

"You weren't here." I mumbled.

"Hey!" Isaac put his hands on my shoulders and looked me square in the eyes. "Take the jeep and go home, change your clothes and have a shower. You kind of stink." He gave me a weak smile and I sighed, shoving him off me.

I know he was trying to help but I just wasn't really in the mood.

"I'll try and track him down okay?" He said warmly.

"Thanks." I sighed.

"Can I just ask…"

"What is it Isaac?"

"What were you thinking last night? I mean you weren't acting like yourself at all." He said.

"I don't know okay? I can't really remember it all that well." My brow furrowed as I tried to scratch through the black nothingness in my memory but it wasn't doing any good.

"I'm not surprised, whatever was in that punch bowl was pretty terrible."

"You know you don't have to try and make me feel better because I screwed up." I said.

He gave his shoulders a shrug. "I know, but Derek can be a douche so I guess sometimes he needs someone to make him feel… human."

I thought about that one, he had a good point I guess. "You're alright Isaac."

He snorted and shook his head with a smile. "Go home and change okay? I'll call you if I hear anything."

I didn't really want to leave but it's not like I was much help anyway, besides, I think I'm the last person Derek wants to see.

I took the keys to the jeep and drove it home. I don't think I was in a good state to drive and I probably almost caused a few accidents but I managed to get home just as my dad was locking up.

"You look like you had a rough night, do I even want to ask?" He smiled as I shuffled past him.

"Not really, no." He chuckled and gave me a pat on the back before heading to his car.

"Oh, can you tell Derek that I really appreciate him talking to me last night? I don't think I had the chance to tell him, he was off pretty quickly without much warning. He likes to keep things to himself doesn't he?"

"Yeah he's a bit of a- wait, what did you say? He talked to you last night? About what?" I asked.

He looked at me questioningly and I shrugged a little, trying to act casual and failing. "He wanted to make sure that I was alright with him seeing you and… are you okay Stiles?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm fine, is that all you guys talked about?"

He raised an eyebrow, "I think I know what this is about."

"You do?" I doubt that.

"Look, son, I don't care who you're dating just so long as they treat you right. And as much as I think you're probably just a tad too young to be getting into a relationship with someone his age, I can see that he is trying to do the right thing by you _and_ by me and I respect that. I don't want you to feel like you can't come and talk to me if you need anything." He gave me a little smile and I sighed.

"I know dad."

"I just wanted you to know that."

"Thanks." There was a little bit of an awkward pause before he piped up again.

"So do you know where it is you're going?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"That was what Derek wanted to talk to me about, he said that you wanted to go away one weekend and he was making sure that I didn't have a problem with that." He narrowed his eyes and I just started to feel one hundred times worse.

"Oh, right, sorry I didn't follow along very well there. Uh, just, the city I guess, you know, a bit of a scenery change." I lied.

"I think you need some sleep Stiles, I'll see you tonight." He said.

"Yeah, probably." I gave a little wave before trudging up the steps and into the house.

I feel like the world's biggest asshole right now. Derek went to my dad to make sure that he was okay with everything that was going on. He was making some kind of plan to go away. And me being such a selfish douche-wad ruined it all.

Who'd have thought that Derek would be that kind of guy anyway? I guess he's right, I don't really know him that much. At least I know that he cares now, I just hope it's not too late.

I went up and had a long shower, trying to figure out what the hell to do. The phone was on the counter by the sink but it didn't go off once, clearly Isaac had no news either.

When I was dressed and there was still nothing I picked up the phone and dialled his number. I waited out the rings until it went to the voicemail and sighed. He was going to have a message box filled with my voice if he didn't pick up soon.

Derek sat at the bar in the quiet tavern nursing his drink, the ice in the glass starting to melt. The phone on the counter buzzed and buzzed but he ignored it until it fell silent. There was a short pause before there was another quick buzz.

He picked it up and looked at the screen to see that he now had four voicemails. He knew they were all from Stiles so he called the number to check them.

_Hey Derek, I know you probably don't want to hear from me right now or you would have picked up one of my calls but please can you just give me something? I'm actually kind of worried or… whatever. Derek please call me, I'm stubborn and I can do this for a lot longer than you. But yeah, call me, or just come back or- I'm just going to – _

The truth was that Derek did want to hear from him, he wanted to be there with him but he had just revealed to Stiles – and himself – that he had real feelings for him under the guise of the trigger. He knew that this was a bad idea when he started, he never should have let himself give in.

He had tried to convince himself that he was doing all of the little things because that would make it easier to make this trigger thing work but deep down he knew that he was starting to care for Stiles, and it scared him. He couldn't let himself care so much but he couldn't just stay away from him now. It wouldn't be fair to Stiles and he physically couldn't keep himself away.

The waitress placed another drink in front of him and he looked up at her. "I didn't order this." He said bluntly.

"Oh I know, it's from that man over there." She pointed to the corner of the room and as he turned he desperately hoped that it wasn't who he thought it was.

He groaned and turned back to his drink when he saw Peter leaning up against the wall by the pool cues with a cocky little grin on his face.

Peter walked over to take a seat beside Derek who downed his drink in one.

"If I'd have known you were going to drink it that fast I would have bought you two." He held up two fingers and smiled with a tilt of his head.

"What do you want?" Derek said.

"I think that question is better pondered by you Derek." He turned to his uncle and glared menacingly, he was in no mood for games. "Better still, you could tell me why you're still running."

"I'm not running." Derek turned back to the bar and stared down into his empty glass.

"Two more please…" Peter said to the waitress with a deceptively charming smile before looking back to his nephew. "You have a habit of doing so, you ran after what happened with Kate, probably better for you that you did, you ran away with Laura after the fire, and I suppose you remember running after the incident with Paige-"

"Alright." Derek said through gritted teeth. "What is your point?"

"Did you really think that getting into things with a teenage boy was going to make everything better? Did you think it would _fix_ you?"

"That depends."

"On?"

"On whether I thought I was broken or not."

"And the prognosis is?"

"I don't need to be fixed." Derek said, taking the drink straight from the stunned waitress' hand and downing it again.

"Well you clearly don't know how to build healthy relationships." Peter said, staring at the three empty glasses on the counter.

"What is it that you want?" Derek snapped.

"I have an idea for you; now bear in mind, the details aren't finalised but-"

"Can you get to the point?" He growled.

Peter put his hands up submissively and smiled. "We need to leave Beacon Hills. This place is holding you back, not to mention the fact that you're still living in that run down old shack in the forest."

"I just bought a new place."

"Well sell it, you and I can start fresh somewhere else where there aren't any painful memories hanging around. Besides, do you really think that anything good can come from falling for a trigger?" Derek didn't say anything; he just turned his face away from Peter and sighed. "There's a reason we're supposed to stay away from them. He's human, he could never understand what it means to be what you are, and you've been scorned too many times for it to matter. Not to mention the tiny detail that you could kill him, but that boy seems to have a penchant for getting himself into painful situations. Think about it Derek." Peter went to clap him on the shoulder but thought twice and left Derek alone at the bar with a mind full of things to think about.

It was late afternoon and Stiles still hadn't heard anything back from Derek, and Isaac had called him once to tell him that he had no news. Stiles didn't expect Isaac to keep searching but the whole pack was onto it now; somehow the loss of their alpha wasn't sitting too well. Even Jackson was out trying to find him.

Stiles hated the fact that he couldn't do anything, how could he? He could drive around trying to find him but Derek would get one whiff of his scent and he'd be gone. At least the others could follow his scent to a degree. Stiles rubbed his eyes as he sat on the downstairs couch. Why couldn't he remember it? He was more than frustrated now and the fact that he could lose Derek because of it made him feel sick.

There was a knock on the door that made him jump up and race over to it. As he wrenched it open he felt kind of stupid because Derek would never knock, he would just come in through the window. He felt even worse when he saw who was standing at the door.

"Oh god, what are you doing here?" He groaned when he saw Peter smiling at him from the porch.

"Aren't you going to invite me in Stiles?" He said.

"No, and I repeat, what are you doing here?"

"Well I did come here to give you some news about Derek but seeing as you seem so disinterested in talking to me-"

"What?!" Stiles said, closing his eyes and counting to ten so that he didn't try and strangle the crazy twice-dead werewolf standing in front of him.

He smiled in that serial-killer-gone-crazy-uncle way that he does so well and tilted his head a little to the side. "I suppose you've figured out that Derek has… somewhat of a passion for running when things get difficult."

"This is going to be one of those 'read between the lines' things isn't it?" Stiles groaned.

"He's a tough one to crack you know, and he doesn't forgive easily."

"Are you smiling right now?" Stiles was getting a brain-ache from the mixed signals that he was getting from Peter but he just ignored Stiles' comments.

"You just need to keep pushing him to tell you about him. He can be quite secretive if you leave him to it." Peter said, knowing full well that Derek doesn't respond well to being pushed. "I suppose that's just because of all the things that he's dealt with in his past experiences of… what exactly would you call the two of you?"

"I know that he blames himself for what happened at the house because of Kate, it doesn't take a genius to figure that out." Stiles said.

Peter nodded. "He wouldn't say much about that out loud I don't expect, he probably says even less about Paige." He paused, waiting.

Stiles' brow furrowed. "Who's Paige?" He asked.

Peter gave him a look and pretended to think of a response. "Oh, so he hasn't told you about her?"

"Obviously not, who is she?"

Peter smiled. "Maybe you should ask him about her." He turned to look down the road and Stiles followed his gaze but saw nothing. "Someone is driving this way; I think that's my cue to leave."

"Wait, you said you had news about… Derek." Stiles shook his head as Peter disappeared stealthily around the back of the house.

He was about to shut the door when he saw a car approaching and his heart skipped a beat. The black Camaro pulled up out the front of his house and Derek stepped out. Stiles swallowed and started breathing faster.

Derek's expression was unreadable and for a moment they just stood staring at one another from a distance. Stiles' lips were parted and he was scared of what Derek was about to say. He said nothing, he just let his dark brow soften and start walking towards the house. Stiles wasn't about to wait for him so he ran from the door and straight into Derek's arms.

The collision almost made Derek lose his balance and for a second he didn't move but when he heard Stiles' beating heart start to slow he wrapped his arms around him. Stiles had his face nestled into Derek's neck and his hands clinging furiously to his back and sides.

The stood there for a moment, gently swaying and not saying a word, until Derek tilted his head down to find Stiles' lips in a tender embrace that settled both of their heartbeats into one slow-beating rhythm that matched perfectly.

"Derek… I'm so-"

"Shh…" Derek said with another peck of his lips. "Don't say anything."

"But I-"

"Stiles, you don't have to say anything, really." Stiles nodded, knowing that Derek didn't really want to talk about this anymore.

The pulled themselves apart from one another to walk into the house and as Stiles stepped ahead Derek did something that he didn't often do. He reached out and grabbed Stiles by the hand, lacing their fingers together tightly. Stiles looked down at their hands for a second before pulling Derek with him into the house.

Neither of them wanted to do much other than be in the company of the other. Derek was exhausted after having had no sleep all night so they lay together in Stiles' bed for a while. When he saw that Derek was drifting off to sleep he pulled the blanket up over him and rested his head against his back, listening to the steady heartbeat that he had been so afraid to lose.

He didn't want to be anywhere else in the world but one thing kept playing on his mind; why had Peter come to see him, and how did Paige help to make Derek the man he is now?

He nuzzled Derek lightly as the reality of how tired he was set in and his eyes fluttered slowly closed, the soft beat of Derek's heart echoing in his ears like a lullaby.


	11. Chapter 11

Stiles woke the next morning to find that for once he had woken before Derek. He slipped his arm over Derek's slowly rising chest and wriggled closer to him. He took a deep breath in and closed his eyes as Derek's musty scent engulfed him.

He smiled as Derek let out low growling sounds in his sleep. He rolled over unexpectedly and Stiles saw his eyes open for a brief second before he was pulled into Derek's wolf-grip.

"Ah! Hey! You know you're stronger than you look right?" He groaned, a smile plastered on his face.

"I'm aware." He grumbled huskily in Stiles' ear. "You were shuffling about and this seems to keep you still." He growled.

"Dude you are such a sour-wolf in the morning." Stiles said.

Derek responded with another growl, his eyes closed and arms still tightly locked around his trigger.

"Don't I get a say in this?" He teased.

"Stiles! Stop talking." Derek griped.

"But I'm awake now."

"I'm aware."

"You're aware of a lot of things."

Derek burrowed his head under Stiles' shoulder trying to block out his voice. Stiles rolled over so that Derek could paste himself to his back. He felt the warmth from Derek's body heating him up and some parts of him were a higher temperature than others.

"Hey Derek, you know what_ I'm_ aware of?" He grinned silently and Derek reached down to pull his hips back into him. "Yeah, I thought you'd know what I meant."

"Do _you_ know that I have only found one way to shut you up?"

"I can ruin that for you if you like… but I imagine that you'd probably be good at dirty talk."

Derek smiled. "And how often do you imagine that?"

"I didn't mean that I have _literally_ imagined that." Stiles said, his cheeks growing hot.

"You have an overactive imagination at the worst of times Stiles. You don't need to lie to me." Derek's hot breath fanned over his ear and Stiles ran his tongue over his bottom lip. "Go on… tell me."

Stiles scrunched his eyes up and exhaled heavily as he tried to think of anything but his throbbing morning erection. He knew that he needed to try and talk to Derek about the fight that they had, seeing as it was pretty intense, but he couldn't concentrate with Derek slipping his fingers under his shirt.

"Well Stiles? Where do you want me to put my hands?" they slipped further down until they were stroking under the waistline of his boxers.

Stiles swallowed. "Derek… I… I really think that we should talk about-" He grunted as Derek pressed his palm into the bulge in his boxers.

"About what Stiles?" Derek breathed.

_Where is my willpower?_ Stiles thought. "Derek… stop." He managed to grunt.

He regretted it right away of course because Derek pulled himself away and flicked back the blankets.

"I said stop I didn't say leave." Stiles sat up and looked at Derek as he stood up and stretched.

"I've got to go anyway."

"Oh so I say stop and you just go?" Stiles grumbled and Derek raised an eyebrow with a smile.

"Stiles, I have things I need to do."

Stiles sighed and Derek knelt on the bed beside him. "I just… I think we should maybe… talk."

This time it was Derek's turn to sigh. "No we don't. I left, I came back. That's it."

"I just- I'm sorry that…"

"Don't."

"Derek-"

"Stiles." Derek lifted his chin and locked eyes with him. "When I get angry I say things I don't mean so just don't say anything, okay?"

Stiles bit his lip and rolled his eyes a little. He knew what that meant; it meant that he didn't want to have to talk about what was going on in his head. It meant that if Stiles wanted to know something about Derek he was going to have to dig it up himself. Not that it was a problem, Stiles could be very resourceful when he wanted to be.

"I bought a place." Derek said, throwing him a bone.

"You did?"

"I'll pick you up tonight, okay?" He kissed him once before he stood up and walked over to open up the window.

He smiled back at Stiles as he climbed through the frame, and then he was gone. Stiles groaned and lay back for a moment before he got up to get dressed.

Stiles walked downstairs and into the kitchen where his father was putting one too many sugars into his coffee.

"Hey dad." Stiles said as he opened up the fridge in search of food.

"Morning son," the Sherriff said, his back turned to Stiles. "Derek get out okay?"

Stiles froze and looked over at his dad who was slowly turning around with the question still written on his face with a half-smile.

"I… uh… what?" He stammered.

"You know son, I basically knew that he was staying here, I was just hoping that if I was right, you would ask, or at least tell me." He folded his arms and Stiles just sort of gaped over at him while his drowsy morning brain tried to think of a witty response.

"How did you…?"

"I went in to see if you wanted some breakfast, seeing as I had some time this morning, and the two of you were sound asleep."

"I could have been doing anything in there, you didn't knock?" Stiles said, his hearing was nowhere near as good as Derek's and if it had been any other morning and Derek wasn't there the two of them could have found themselves in a sticky situation.

"Don't dodge the subject Stiles, I work in law enforcement, do you think I'm not used to little punks like you trying that on?" He raised an eyebrow and Stiles shrugged.

"Are you mad?"

The sheriff sighed and shook his head. "No Stiles, I am not mad. I just want you to be able to talk to me." He looked up with exhausted eyes and Stiles felt a little pang of guilt.

He gave a nod and looked down at his feet. He knew how lonely his dad had been for a long time. The last few months he had been pretty distant and if he was honest with himself a bit of a pain for him to deal with. He almost lost his father's job and he put him through hell by getting himself involved in all of the supernatural werewolf stuff that had been happening in this town.

"So… did you want some breakfast?" He asked.

"Uh well I was going to go out and… do stuff…" His father gave a dampened nod and turned back to the coffee machine. "But… I don't have to go for like, an hour or something." He shrugged.

His father looked back up at him with a half-smile and another nod so Stiles returned the same smile, handed down from one generation to the other.

They managed to find enough ingredients to make a batch of pancakes – which they mostly burnt anyway. Neither of them were all too handy in the kitchen but this was the first time that they'd done anything together in a long time. With the amount of murders and attacks in this town the Sheriff was occupied by his work, and Stiles was a teenager, obsessed with sex and school and his friends.

"Do you even like pancakes anymore?" The Sheriff said as they admired their blackened stack on the plate in front of them.

"Not really, I'm more of a sugary cereal kind of guy." Stiles said.

"Oh no, you don't need another reason to bounce off these walls." He gave his son a nudge with his elbow and Stiles grinned to himself.

The Sheriff's cell phone began to ring and he took it from his pocket to answer it. "Sheriff Stilinski." He said.

Stiles watched as his dad's face fell and he rubbed his brow as he nodded.

"Yeah… no I'll be right there." He hung up the phone and looked over at Stiles. "Duty calls."

They exchanged a glance that didn't need words and the Sheriff headed over to his coat and his keys before leaving for the day. Stiles was about ready to go too, he was spending some time playing video games with Scott, something they haven't don't in forever.

It really was a day for that wasn't it?

_Stiles – _

I totally kicked ass today. And by that I mean I have had way too much time to practice video games while Scott spent his time with Allison the last few months. I mean that's all changed now and we both completely suck because we haven't played in ages but it was great anyway.

I drove home in the afternoon and browsed the internet, did some reading, basically I was just passing the time until Derek came to show me his new place.

I was actually really excited to see it. I mean he spent enough time trying to find the perfect place so it better be pretty _freaking_ perfect.

When I finally checked the time it was later than I thought and Derek still hadn't busted his way in here werewolf style and my dad was still gone. It must have been a bad one, it's getting dark already.

By the time it was well and truly dark out I saw the light from headlights pulling up outside the window and checked to see if my dad was finally home but it was Derek pulling up in the Camaro. I opened the window and looked out at him as he got out and leant against the door.

I sneered and put on a contemplative face. "What's in a name?" I said as a mock soliloquy.

His eyes narrowed. "If you think I'm going to start quoting Shakespeare to you then you're even stupider than I thought."

I put a hand to my chest. "Oh Derek, where for art thou heart?"

"Stiles… Your throat, my teeth. Get your ass down here now." He climbed back in his car and I figured that I'd teased him enough to put my life in sufficient danger and that I had better get down there.

I sent a text to my dad as I locked up telling him that I would be out all night. I assumed that I would be anyway. I mean Derek's showing me his new place so I know what that most probably means. Plus, as much as he likes to think that he can tell me what to do it doesn't mean I listen.

I climbed into his car and leant over to kiss his cheek perkily which earned me a scowl but I just grinned.

"So, how far out is this place?" I asked.

"It's about ten from here, on a good run."

"Anyone would think you wanted to be close to me."

"Shut up Stiles."

"Sour wolf."

He groaned and shook his head.

"Hey, I won the bet so I don't have to stop calling you that… sour wolf." He shot me a warning look but I was far too giddy to care. "Speaking of that… don't you owe me a weekend away?"

He looked over at me and I smiled toothily. With a roll of his eyes he looked back to the road and checked his rear view.

"I'm not taking you anywhere."

"You sure?" I know that he had asked my dad about it so he must have been making some plans.

I'm not going to tell him that I know, it would be nice if he would just suck up his pride and do it himself.

"It was your fault so I'm not taking you anywhere." Did it get a little awkward in here or is that just me?

We didn't say too much after that. God, I wish he would just talk, tell me what's on his mind. I know he doesn't do that, and I get that, he's been through a lot and I desperately want to ask him about this Paige girl that Peter mentioned but I know that won't be any good either. He's closed off enough.

I need to get him to talk about something, anything, especially if he wants to play the 'what do you know about me' game. Maybe it's because we're all sex and jokes, maybe I need to try something serious. Not like a fight or anything, we do plenty of fighting. Maybe it can work if I open up. Oh crap… this will so kill the mood.

We got to this industrial looking building and I just gave Derek a confused stare. "What is this place? Oh man you're not turning into some psycho sour wolf killer are you? This looks like somewhere Dexter would take his victims."

Derek rolled his eyes and turned off the car. As we got out and walked towards the doors he gave me the smallest of smiles. "It's a loft. There's a lift and then the floor and a staircase up to the bedrooms."

"Bedrooms? Plural?" I asked as he pressed the buzzer for the lift.

He groaned and flattened his lips into a line. "I'm stuck housing Isaac." He said.

"Aw, do you feed him and clothe him too?" I smirked and he rolled his eyes.

It was actually really sweet the way he was looking after Isaac. It's not like either of them have anyone else, that probably why they get along so well… in a strained, angry, broody werewolf kind of way.

"Don't give me that look." He said as we stepped into the lift.

"What look?"

"If there was anywhere else that he could go he would be gone by now." Derek said,.

"You know, you don't need to defend yourself to me." I said.

"I'm not defending myself."

He was getting way too defensive to be making statements like that.

"Derek, I get it…" He gave me a glare that could have turned me to stone so I figured I had better rephrase. "I mean, it's a pack thing, a wolf thing… you're just making sure you have a strong pack." I shrugged.

He didn't push any further and I reached out to take his hand. This was one of those rare moments when he let me take it. He ground his teeth and narrowed his eyes but he let me take it.

Sometimes being with Derek was like trying to tame a wolf, you could only get so far before he decided that enough was enough and bared his teeth. I don't think I would survive if I told that theory to Derek though.

The lift doors opened and the second we stepped into the loft he pulled his hand out of mine roughly.

Isaac was standing in the room looking over at the TV and Scott, Jackson and Lydia were sitting on the couch. The four of them looked over at me and Derek as they walked in and Derek's gritted teeth were bared in a growl.

"What the hell is this?" He said.

"Movie night." Isaac smiled uncertainly.

"Movie night?" He said.

"…yes."

"And you just thought you'd invite these three idiots over?"

"And hey, didn't you think of inviting me?" I said, a little insulted.

Derek rolled his eyes and Isaac gave me a nod.

"I sent you a text."

I checked my phone and saw a message from Isaac telling me to come over if Derek wasn't holding me hostage. "Oh ha-ha, it's not like he locks me up to keep me from escaping Isaac."

He grinned over at me and Derek shook his head.

"You're welcome to join us." Scott said.

"Pass." He said flatly.

"Someone's in a bad mood, what did you do Stiles?" Erica's voice rang out from over by the stairs and I saw Boyd walk in from the kitchen with Allison.

"Why do you always blame me?" God, she irks me.

"Lighten up Derek." Jackson challenged him and with a callous glare he grabbed me by the shirt.

"Hey! What are you doing?" He didn't answer.

Derek dragged Stiles away from the rest of the annoying teenagers that had invaded his new home and up the stairs to his bedroom. He opened the door for Stiles who bowed his head, earning an eye roll and a menacing head movement from Derek as he passed.

He looked around the room, all that it contained was a rather spacious double bed and a dresser. As he sat back on the bed he smiled up at Derek who just gave him a look that he couldn't quite figure out.

"What?" He asked.

Derek strutted up to him, dipping his head enough to taste Stiles' lips and closing his eyes as he forgot about all the commotion going on downstairs. As their lips peeled apart Stiles put his hands on Derek's thighs.

"What was that for?" he whispered.

"Do I need a reason?" Derek replied.

Stiles reached up and grabbed Derek's neck to pull his lips back into his. Derek cupped his face in his hands and opened his mouth to let his tongue pass through the barricade of teeth. Without breaking their embrace Stiles scoot back up onto the bed and Derek climbed over him, pushing him back so that he could put a leg in between his thighs.

Stiles pulled Derek into him by the waist and there was no argument, Derek's body responded almost the second he touched him.

He pulled Stiles' bottom lip into his mouth and suckled gently as he slipped a hand up his shirt. The smooth taught skin of his chest being electrified by Derek's touch and a groan escaped his lips.

Derek's face pulled away from Stiles and his lips made a flat line as his nostrils flared.

"What?" Stiles said breathlessly.

It was only a second later that the door opened and Isaac stuck his head through. "Hey I was just- oh…" He cleared his throat and looked away awkwardly. Stiles tried to squirm out from underneath Derek but he had a firm hand on his chest. "Uh… Derek?" Isaac said.

"I'm a little busy Isaac. What do you want?"

"We were going to order pizza and I was just going to see if you wanted some." Isaac said, an awkward smile on his face.

"I'm not hungry. Don't you have another place that you can host your pizza parties?" Derek said, still straddling Stiles' leg.

"Nope, did you want me to turn up the T.V. so that we don't get an earful of this?" He grinned.

"I don't care, just tell Scott that if he wants to get cosy with Allison he can do it at his own house, not mine." Derek's eyes narrowed and Isaac pouted his lips.

"I'm turning it up." He said, pulling the door closed behind him as he left.

"I don't think Scott and Allison are together anymore." Stiles said as he looked up at Derek.

Derek's head tilted to the side and he raised his eyebrows. "I don't care." He said flatly before his scorching tongue was tracing the lines on Stiles' neck.

"Uhn… yeah, neither do I." Stiles said as his eyes rolled back in his head. "You know I uh… I spent some time just hanging out with my dad this morning." He said.

"Okay." Derek mumbled into his collarbone.

"We don't really do that anymore, I think he kind of misses it." Derek stopped the assault that his lips were performing on Stiles and rolled onto his side with a sigh. "Sorry, it was just… I mean… I know you don't like to talk about things and I'm not really that guy either but… I think it's kind of… necessary."

Derek didn't say anything he just looked up at Stiles expectantly and Stiles clicked his tongue.

"If your silence is going to mean that I'm the one who's going to be doing the talking while you lie there and listen then I already got that. And I know that you have your reasons for not wanting to talk because I do know that much about you but how am I supposed to find out anything else? You can't go around saying things like 'what do I know about you' when you don't want to tell me anything. Hell, I'll settle for your favourite colour – even though it's pathetic but I'm not going to make you talk… I can't make you talk, like it's physically impossible to make you do anything you don't want to do because you're this big tough alpha who-"

"Stiles, you're getting off point." Derek cut in.

Stiles shook his head. "Right, right, I just mean that you can't have it both ways. I get it, you don't want to talk about things, okay? I get it, even if Peter didn't decide to come and tell me about it I would have known. I just… I don't really know what you want here." He looked over at a contemplative Derek and the more silence there was the more Stiles regretted the word vomit that had just happened. "Are you going to say anything or just lie there staring at me?"

"Have you ever thought about not trying to define what _this_ is Stiles? Why don't you just let things go?" Derek tilted his head to the side and Stiles sighed.

"Yeah, I guess, I just…" He sighed again and Derek leant in to nuzzle his cheek.

He always knew what to do to make Stiles calm down when he was like this. He obviously paid a lot of attention to him when he didn't notice, how could he know so much just by watching.

Stiles looked over into Derek's eyes and just stared for a moment. He saw something in them that he couldn't place; he almost looked worried or nervous. Stiles wet his lips with his tongue and Derek broke their contact.

"Derek…" He whispered.

"Did you say that Peter came to talk to you?" He cut in.

"Well, yeah."

"What did he say?"

"Not much, he was being his usual sociopathic self." Stiles shrugged.

"What did he say?" Derek repeated.

Stiles really didn't want to bring it up but he could see that Derek was insistent. "It was right before you showed up, he was probably trying to be a decent uncle for once in his post-fire life." _Don't bring up the fire_… Stiles thought.

"Stiles."

He sighed. "He told me that I should ask you about a girl named Paige, but I kind of figured it was just him trying to cause trouble." He said, trying to dismiss it fast when Derek tensed up beside him.

His nostrils flared and he had a meaner stare than Stiles had ever seen. His body had even started to tremble with anger and Stiles made sure not to move.

"Derek?" He said tentatively before Derek leapt off the bed and took long purposeful strides to the door. "Derek wait, please!"

Derek stopped, closing his eyes and holding his breath for a moment. He turned his head back to face Stiles.

"Go downstairs and have some pizza with them, I'll be back later."

"You're not going to do anything crazy are you? Derek, just stay." He pleaded.

"I'll be back Stiles, I just have something to take care of." He left the room and Stiles sighed.

"That went well." Stiles collapsed onto his back before deciding that pizza and movies was probably the best thing to keep his mind off the things that Derek could possibly be doing.


	12. Chapter 12

He had barely been home for half an hour but Derek was on his way out again. He was seething about what Peter had said to Stiles, how dare he bring her up? He made him swear that he would never speak of her again. After what happened, after what he made him do to her… they were never supposed to mention it again.

And how could he say something to Stiles? This had to have something to do with the talk they had the day before in the bar. God he could use a drink.

He drove manically through the streets until he made it to Peter's place. He slammed the door of his Camaro and he pressed the intercom buzzer for his apartment.

"Yes?" Came the grainy voice of his sadistic uncle.

"It's Derek." He said through gritted teeth.

"What a lovely surprise." Derek heard the door buzz and he wrenched the door open and made his way up to the floor.

When he found the room he wrapped on the door loudly, his shoulders heaving from the heavy breaths he was taking.

Peter opened the door and Derek made his move. He grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him up against the wall viciously and with the intent to do some serious maiming.

"Well good evening to you too." Peter choked as Derek held his arm against his neck.

"Why did you tell him about Paige?!" He spat.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Peter said, growing more uncomfortable as Derek pressed harder into his throat.

"Then why did he bring up her name?" He growled.

"I assumed you had already told him about her! Why wouldn't you tell him?" Derek's furious eyes searched his stoic uncle's for a moment before he let him fall hard to the ground.

He walked away and paced back and forth.

"I didn't tell him anything about her, I merely mentioned her name." Peter said, standing up and rubbing his throat with his hand.

"You had no right. We swore we wouldn't talk about her anymore." Derek said, the distress in his voice very clear.

"Now Derek, you're not worried about the old skeletons in your closet are you?" Peter mused.

"It's nobody's god damn business!" He yelled.

"Not even Stiles?"

"I said, _nobody_." He growled.

"Funny, because from where I'm standing he seems to be getting quite close to your heart." Derek spun around and gave him a warning growl, his eyes glowing red.

Peter put his hands up submissively. "This isn't about Stiles." Derek said.

"You can't lie to me Derek, I've known you for a long time and I know when something is getting to you, even though you've become just about as cold and cut off as me."

"He is a trigger! That makes me feel something. That's all." Derek roared.

Peter turned his lip into a snarl. "What are you doing to him? Do you even know? Because I can see just how much he is starting to care for you and we both know that you, can't, reciprocate. You're not capable of giving him anything more than what the trigger allows you to feel. You destroyed that part of you years ago, it died a little with Paige, and a lot more with the rest of the family. So you can watch him get hurt because of how selfish you're being or you can give him up. Why do you think they tell you not to get involved with a trigger? Because we're bad for them and they're bad for us." Derek clamped his eyes shut, not wanting to think about it.

The truth was that it was more than just a trigger, but he didn't know to what extent those feelings survived. When the trigger wore off would he still feel the same? Or would all of his built up feelings leave him? He knew exactly how selfish he was being by staying with Stiles. He would never be able to give him everything he wanted because as painful as it was to admit, Peter was right, he had killed the part of him that was capable of feeling something. The part of him that might be able to form something real with Stiles was gone and without the trigger there was no way of knowing if he could still stand to be around him in the same way that he was now.

"You know I'm right." Peter said arrogantly.

"If you ever bring up my past to him again, I will kill you." Derek said, leaving Peter with one last menacing glare before storming out again.

He and Peter both knew that he had removed his ability to let someone in a long time ago. The amount of pain he had suffered at such a young age forced him to make a choice for himself that he didn't want but knew was necessary. There was only so many crushing blows that one young man could take.

Derek headed back to his car and drove off, his whole body shaking with anger and the fear of what he was feeling and what it meant for him and Stiles. If he was honest, and if he was a good man he would let Stiles be, leave him to have a life without him. But he knew that he was selfish and he knew that the trigger wanted Stiles. So he couldn't leave him, as much as he knew he should.

That could have been because he thought that he wasn't a good man and was resigned to prove that fact. He knew that he deserved to feel tormented about this and that he should want to let Stiles have a better life.

So he stayed, because it made him feel impossible ecstasy to be with him, and his lows were impossibly so that it kept him grounded in reality.

_Isaac – _

"What's up with Derek?" I asked Stiles as we shared a peperoni pizza in the kitchen.

He groaned and forced a rather large slice into his open mouth. "You don't want to know." He mumbled through all the dough and cheese.

I laughed and shook my head. "Yeah, I think I already know far too much about the two of you."

"Your fault for living with Derek, he is freaking impossible when he wants to be." Stiles said.

"I really don't need to know the details of your relationship, I'm in on more than I'd like to be anyway." Living under the same roof was definitely not the way to go to stay out of it.

"So…" Erica walked over and leant on the bench beside us. "What did you do to him Stiles?"

"Why are you so interested? Are you jealous?" Stiles replied.

"He's my alpha, I'm curious."

"I'm glad you didn't say worried because I wouldn't have believed you." I remarked and she growled at me.

"He's been gone for a while…" Stiles said.

"He'll be fine." I said.

"Would you girls stop whining in there?" Jackson called out and Allison gave him a slap on the arm. "What? You don't have super sensitive hearing; you don't know how annoying it is."

"He's got a point." Erica said.

"Hey, why don't you even invite Danny to these things?" Scott said to Jackson.

"Because he kind of hates you guys."

"No he doesn't." Lydia said. "I'll text him." She pulled out her phone and Jackson growled.

"Don't you want to share him with us?" I called over to him and he turned to give me a look that could probably kill if it were anyone other than Jackson but it gave Lydia enough time to send her text.

"Done." She sang.

"So, what is this party of boring doing tonight?" Stiles said as he discarded his pizza crust into the other half of the box.

"Derek's back." I said and the rest of the pack picked up their ears along with me.

"You guys are seriously weird." Stiles said as he walked over to the fridge.

The lift doors opened and Derek walked in carrying a box and a hard line above his eyes.

"You okay Derek?" Boyd asked as we watched Derek slide the box up onto the bench.

"If you're taking over my house then you're going to do it right." He pulled out two bottles of whiskey from the box and tossed one to me and one to Boyd.

"I thought werewolves had a really high alcohol tolerance." Stiles said, eyeing Derek worriedly.

"We do, that's why we have these." He pulled out another two bottles and put them on the counter before taking one last bottle and unscrewing the top to take a long swig. "Share the rest, touch this one and you're dead."

He strode off and headed towards the staircase before disappearing from sight.

"Maybe I should follow him…" Stiles said.

"If he wanted to talk to you I think he would have come over to see you." Erica said, pulling out glasses from the cabinet and extending her arm to Boyd for him to pour her some whiskey.

Jackson was already up and descending on one of the other bottles. "Who cares, he got the good stuff."

Erica took a sip from her glass and pulled a sour face before walking to the stereo to press play on someone's music player.

I never really went to parties much, I never really had that many friends to invite me to parties. I poured out large glasses for me and Scott and Stiles filled a few cups with ice for the humans who weren't quite as tolerant. It was going to take a lot to give me that buzz but luckily Derek had brought plenty of supplies.

He really must be in a bad way. I should make sure that he's alright but I don't think he'd even let me in right now. If I've learnt anything from being one of Derek's betas it's when to just leave him to his own devices and wait for him to come to you, which doesn't usually happen anyway.

By the time Danny arrived most of us were relatively buzzed and were probably far too enthusiastic about him being here.

"Danny! My man!" Stiles walked over to greet him with an arm around his shoulder and a dopey grin on his face.

Danny looked a little freaked out but gave him a meagre smile in return before Jackson thrust a glass in his hand.

"Drink up." He said, his smile only slightly less stupid than Stiles'.

The music was pounding but over the beat I heard footsteps coming from upstairs and making their way down the spiral steps. Derek held a half full bottle of whiskey in his hand and I saw Stiles' eyes grow wide when he saw just how much he had drank to himself.

Everyone seemed to stop and stare as he walked down, his eyes locked on the newcomer and non-member of the pack as he took a glass from Jackson. He sauntered over, staring down his nose at Danny until he was no more than a metre from him.

"Uh… hi." Danny said nervously.

Derek just stared at him for a moment before his face warmed to a smile, a slightly off-centre smile that comes after you drink half a bottle of whiskey in just over an hour.

"Don't trash the place, and don't touch the bottle," He held up his personal supply. "Follow those rules and you can stay."

Danny just nodded with a smile, a little confused and I think he was probably a little aroused; at least that's what it smelt like. I've been living with Derek in the old house and he had Stiles around a lot, I know what arousal smells like.

Derek walked past him and slammed his lips into Stiles' who was caught off guard and the both of them stumbled a little to the left.

Well, if Derek's going to loosen up I guess that makes it a free-for-all right?

It was a few hours later and there was little left of the bottles that Derek had brought back. He was sitting alone in the corner of the room, just watching everything go by, a few swigs all that remained of his whiskey.

The buzz that ran through his body was a distraction from everything he was feeling and it helped to shut down his thoughts. He just sat focussing on nothing in particular as the room around him spun wildly.

Boyd and Scott were scheming about nothing in particular, probably something to do with Jackson because in their tipsy state it seemed like a good plan to screw with him. Danny and Stiles sat up by the bench in the kitchen and Danny couldn't stop looking over at Jackson who was starting to catch on to the antics of Scott and Boyd.

"You know you keep looking over there, you like him don't you?" Stiles teased.

"What? No." Danny said defensively.

"Don't lie to me Danny boy."

"I'm not; I just don't know what's going on with him lately. We used to be good friends but now…"

Stiles gave him a friendly bat on the shoulder. "He's just a dumb jock."

Danny smiled, "You know what's going on with him don't you?" He leant in close as if waiting for Stiles to whisper a secret.

"Me? No," Stiles said.

"You do."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Stiles laughed and looked intently into the bottom of his empty glass.

"If you know something you have to tell me." Danny smiled, his lips a little numb from the influence of the alcohol.

"Fine, you win Danny, Jackson has been acting strange because… well, because my sex-god boyfriend turned him into a werewolf and now he's a part of their werewolf pack, but not before he turned into a lizard-monster and started terrorising the town… he's over that now though, now he's just a regular old shape-shifting werewolf like the rest of the pack." Stiles sat back with satisfaction and Danny looked at him with a dropped jaw.

After a moment of bewildered staring he started to laugh. "Go home Stiles, you're drunk."

"Told you that you wouldn't believe me." He grinned and Danny laughed, completely oblivious to the fact that he couldn't have given him more of the truth if he was sober.

Jackson walked over to them and gave Stiles a glare, most probably having heard every word of the conversation.

"Danny, do you want to dance?" He asked and Stiles collapsed onto his arms with laughter.

"Have fun!" He sang and Jackson wrapped a friendly arm around Danny's shoulders as he dragged him over to dance with Lydia.

Isaac walked over to Stiles and whacked him over the back of the head. "Why are you such a douche?" He asked.

"He asked, it's just lucky that he doesn't believe in the supernatural." Stiles shrugged.

"You're lucky that Derek is too out of it to care." Isaac said and the two of them looked over to where he was sitting.

He looked as though he was brooding over something important and Stiles felt compelled to talk to him, but he didn't want to be the one to break the trance that he had going. He looked like he really needed to think.

After a few hours more they were coming down from their highs. Allison and Lydia lay side by side on the couch talking softly and Jackson and Stiles lay with their heads next to one another on the floor in the middle of the loft. The others were milling about in the kitchen.

"Truth or dare." Stiles said.

Jackson pulled a face. "I'm not doing that."

"Don't be a wimp." Stiles said back, neither of them looking at one another.

"I'm not a wimp."

"So truth or dare."

"Truth." Jackson said, closing his eyes.

"Wimp."

"Shut up, this is stupid."

"If Danny came on to you and you weren't with Lydia would you do it?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer it."

"I'm not gay."

"So? Neither was I, I was in love with your girlfriend for god's sake." Stiles scoffed.

Jackson shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I'd let him feel me up a bit."

Stiles chuckled to himself. "I bet you would."

"Shut up. Your turn."

"To what?"

"Truth or dare asshole."

"Dare, unlike you I'm not a wimp." He grinned.

Jackson scrunched up his face, not being able to think of anything. "Uh…" He looked over at Derek who was now staring up at the ceiling contemplatively. Jackson smirked, "dare you to go over and blow a raspberry in his face." He laughed to himself as he thought about it and Stiles sat up to see where he was looking.

"Are you crazy?" He said and Jackson just laughed again.

Stiles stood up and walked over to Derek. He was starting to sober up and Derek was still looking like he didn't want to be disturbed. He walked over and looked at him for a few moments before Derek turned to him and blinked, one eye at a time.

"Don't take this personally…" Stiles said and Derek smiled… before blowing a raspberry in Stiles' face and laughing.

Jackson started cackling from the floor and Stiles shook his head while pursing his lips. "You're drunk but you still have werewolf super-hearing, I get it."

"Come on Stiles." Derek stood up with his hand out for Stiles but stumbled forward into the coffee table and fell down onto the floor.

"Oh, god… did you drink that whole bottle?" Stiles said, looking at the empty bottle by the wall.

Scott and Isaac rushed over to pick him up and it took the both of them to hoist him up the stairs and into his bedroom.

"You all good?" Scott said to Stiles.

"Yeah, I guess I'll have to tuck him in and all that stuff." The two of them left and shut the door leaving just Derek and Stiles together.

"You want to tell me why you got yourself blind drunk tonight?" Stiles said as he sat down on the bed next to him.

Derek rolled onto his back and groaned. "You want to know about her?" He drawled.

"About who?" Stiles said.

"Paige." He said slowly, his eyes closed and the smile slowly dissolving from his lips.

"Derek… I don't want you to tell me about her when you're drunk, if you want to tell me about her you can do it sober." He whispered, climbing up onto the bed and lying beside him.

"I killed her…" He murmured.

"Derek… don't." Stiles put a hand on his cheek and looked down into his glassy, bloodshot eyes.

He gently brushed Derek's lips with his own and he grunted unresponsively. His eyes opened a little more and he reached up to caress Stiles' face with his fingertips and sighed.

"You've got to make me quit you Stiles." He said softly.

Stiles felt a pain in his chest and looked away from Derek with a sigh, his eyes slowly tearing up. He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "You know that there is literally nothing that I can _make_ you do Derek."

He smiled to himself and rolled away from Stiles drowsily.

"Stiles… you could make me do anything." He whispered before he passed out cold.

Stiles swallowed hard and leant over to kiss his temple before lying down and pressing his body against Derek's for what would probably be a long night.

_Scott – _

"Isaac…" I muttered as we lay next to one another on his bed.

He grunted at me and I sighed.

"It's three am." He grunted again and I laughed. "Derek clearly has some issues huh?"

"Oh yeah." He said with a croaky voice.

I stopped for a moment and just listened to all of the sounds in the room. Isaac's heart beat was by far the loudest, pounding rhythmically and making my eyes tired. In the room across the hall I could hear Derek's sleeping heart beating and Stiles… Stiles was still awake based on what I could hear.

Damn, I could hear a lot.

"Hey Scott?" Isaac mumbled.

"Mm?" I waited for him to continue but he didn't say anything. "Isaac, what is it?"

"Nothing." He said and his heart beat got a little faster.

"No, what?" I propped myself up on my elbow to look at him.

He turned his head to look this way and he sighed. "Really, it's nothing."

"Isaac." I said, prodding him in the belly and causing him to smile.

"Don't." He grinned and slapped me with the back of his hand.

"_Isaac_…" I gave him a few more prods and he laughed, shoving me back.

I grabbed him by the arms and pushed him down so he put his hands on my chest to try and push back. We laughed as he slung me down into the bed and pinned me, clearly I have had more to drink than he did. His forearm held me in place with one corner of his mouth curled up in a smile and his chest heaving.

In a matter of seconds his expression changed, he was giving me this impossible look. His heart was pounding, sweat was forming on his brow and I have no idea why. He exhaled shakily and it happened before I could stop it.

His soft lips parted mine and his fist relaxed into a soft stroking palm on my chest. My tongue reached out to taste his out of reflex and my fingers touched his wrist. Opening his mouth wider he ran the tip of his tongue over my teeth and as my body started to react to his touch I realised that in my tipsy state I had let this escalate far more than it ever should have.

I pushed him away and sat up on the edge of the bed, covering my mouth with my hand.

_Isaac?_

"Um, I… sorry." I stood up and raced out of the room, shutting it behind me.

I didn't get any further than that, I leant against the door and this time it was my own heart beat to pick up the pace. The problem isn't that it's going to be awkward tomorrow or that this was some drunken mistake, all of my senses were telling me one thing; this wasn't some chance thing. I could smell it in the air and hear it in the sounds of his body and I know that he is listening to me out here.

_Isaac._ I thought, one second ago you were just Isaac and now… "Isaac…" I sighed.


	13. Chapter 13

Stiles spread himself out in the silky sheets the next morning, the thin layer of alcohol sweat still coating his body from the night before. As he star-fished out and pried his crusty eyes open he realised that Derek wasn't there.

He blinked painfully and rubbed his eyes as his body creaked through his stretch. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, still half asleep, to make his way downstairs. He had slept in his clothes, never thinking to take them off, and he knew that he probably had that 'morning after alcohol' stink on him.

At least he didn't have werewolf super-smell to go with his super-groggy feeling.

He headed down the staircase and into the main loft where he could see a few of the pack members still sleeping. Jackson and Lydia must have claimed the spare bedroom because neither they nor Isaac were to be seen. Erica and Allison were sleeping at opposite ends of one of the couches while Danny was slumped face-first on the other and Boyd and Scott were curled up on the floor.

Stiles heard the sound of the fridge door shutting and looked over into the kitchen. Derek looked to be mixing a coffee, God knows he was probably going to need it after last night. Stiles wondered if he could remember the things he had said before he passed out last night. If he did then he was probably going to deny it anyway, but Stiles felt like he was going to have to say something soon.

He had a feeling that the reason Derek had stormed out was because of what Peter had said, and he was gone too long to have just popped out for some booze. For a second Stiles was scared that he would get home and his dad would tell him about some thirty-something year old by the name of Peter that got attacked by a wild animal in his own apartment, but he didn't think Derek would go quite that far.

Well, he hoped.

He exhaled heavily and walked into the kitchen.

"You're up early for someone who polished off an entire bottle of whiskey to himself last night." He said.

Derek didn't turn to look at him he just took a sip of his coffee before replying. "I recover pretty quickly."

In all honesty his head was a little sore, but he did drink _a lot_.

Stiles leant against the counter and sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and clamped down. The awkward pause that followed made it very clear that Derek remembered what he had said last night, or at least some of it. What could Stiles say? 'So, how exactly did you kill this Paige girl? Why can't you let yourself feel something positive for a change?' No, that would not go down well. Instead, he bit down on his lip to stop him from saying something the both of them would regret.

Derek turned to give him a look, his eyes were a little bloodshot and he didn't look quite as fresh as usual but somehow he still looked sexy. _Damn you Derek_, Stiles thought. Derek put down his cup and walked over, slipping his hands around Stiles' waist.

_We are never going to resolve anything, ever_. Stiles thought again.

Not when Derek was kissing him the way he was now. It was just the pressing of their lips together but it made every fibre of Stiles' being alight and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"If you're going to do it can you at least wait until we're gone?" Jackson said as he made his way down the staircase tiredly.

"My house." Derek said flatly, giving Stiles a sudden but shiver-inducing lick down his neck.

"Hey! I don't know if you noticed but there are other people in this room!" Stiles mumbled, not-so-secretly loving it.

"I can smell the two of you and I wish you'd just take it upstairs!" Scott grumbled.

"What's your problem?" Jackson griped.

"Nothing." Scott said, mumbling into his arm.

His dreams had been troubling him all night and as a result sleep had evaded him for the most part.

Derek sighed, a grumbly look on his face which Stiles poked at with his finger. He was regretting the idea to supply them all with alcohol, now the odds were that they would be in his loft for the rest of the day.

"Hey, Derek, can we maybe talk, you know… alone, later?" Stiles whispered.

Derek's body tensed. "If you want to talk about last night then don't bother. I've said everything you needed to know." He said a little icily and let go of his waist to go back to his coffee.

Stiles sighed and Derek closed his eyes. He knew that he would have to say something, but he would wait until they were away from sensitive ears.

Slowly the teenagers arose and Danny offered to take Boyd and Erica to some real hangover-breakfast, or so he called it. They didn't feel as bad as their human counterparts but didn't turn down the offer. Allison hitched a ride with them, needing to get home and clean up before her father realised what she had been doing.

Despite everything he still wasn't totally okay with his only daughter spending her time with a pack of werewolves.

Jackson was pushing the limits and invading Derek's kitchen to which he earned a dark scowl, but Derek was far too tired to show him who was boss today. Maybe tomorrow.

Lydia was stuck there so long as Jackson refused to leave. Obviously she still looked perfect.

"Is it just me or is Isaac taking a serious sleep in?" She said from the couch a few hours after waking up.

For some reason they all looked up at the stairs – like Isaac was going to just walk down and be all 'it's okay guys, I just feel like crap' and they could all feel better. No such luck.

"I'll go and ruin his morning." Stiles grinned and jumped off the kitchen stool.

He headed up stairs and called out to Isaac. "Oh Isaac? Time for your wake-up call!" He sang.

When he opened the door to his bedroom he was surprised to see that Isaac wasn't in there, and the window was propped open. Okay then, Stiles thought before wandering back down into the open loft.

"I think he may have high-tailed it out his window." He said and Lydia raised her eyebrows with a smile.

"Why is it that you've discovered a fondness of wolf puns since joining the pack?" She said sweetly.

"I guess you could call it a love of putting my life in danger." He shrugged.

"What do you mean he's gone?" Scott said.

Stiles looked over at him and shrugged. "I mean he's not here. And I said high-tailed. High-_tail_ed." Scott ignored him and looked over at Derek.

"Why would he go out the window?" Jackson asked.

"To avoid running into you down here?" Stiles offered and Jackson let out a growl.

"Enough. I'll go and look for him." Derek said.

"I think I should go." Scott said, the only one who had any possible reason for Isaac wanting to avoid coming downstairs.

"Well, I'm going to take Lydia home so if I see him on my way I'll give you a call." Jackson said sarcastically and Derek rolled his eyes.

"You can look in town and I'll search the woods." Derek said to Scott.

"You know, I hate to side with this guy," Stiles pointed to Jackson, "but maybe you guys are overreacting."

"Maybe," Derek said without giving it much more thought. "You can stay if you want but I don't know when we'll be back."

Stiles sighed. "No, I'm leaving."

As they all collected themselves and headed their separate ways Stiles couldn't help but think that looking for Isaac was just something extra to keep Derek from actually talking. He had to be strong on this because usually when he tried to talk about something Derek distracted him with sex, and while he was very fond of the sex he needed to find a way to communicate.

Stiles drove himself home, tired and still feeling gross. He went straight to the shower once he was inside and thought to himself that the hot water was almost better than sex. Then his mind wandered and he thought that if you mixed the two it would be the most amazing thing ever, which led to him taking a longer shower than he had intended.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and wandered lazily into his room, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey." At the sound of someone's voice in his room he leapt back and made a yelping sound, clutching at the wall behind him as his eyes focussed.

Isaac lay on his bed, his hands laced together on his chest and eyes staring up at the ceiling.

"Dude! What the hell?"

"Sorry." He smiled in a way that made Stiles scowl and he didn't believe that word one bit.

"Seriously? I've been home like five minutes!"

"I think you'll find that it's been a little bit longer." Isaac smiled.

"Oh, what are you now, some kind of werewolf perv?"

Isaac chuckled to himself and sat up on the edge of the bed. "You can put some clothes on, I can't see through my little werewolf eyelids." He mocked.

"You can still hear through walls, perv." Stiles said as he went into his closet to grab some clothes.

Once he had some jeans on he felt mildly better, albeit slightly embarrassed that Isaac knew what he had been doing in the shower.

"What are you doing here? You know that Derek and Scott are looking for you right?" Stiles said as he pulled a shirt over his head.

Isaac opened his unfocussed eyes slowly and stared off into space. "Derek and _Scott_…" He said quietly before leaving a long pause.

Stiles felt a little awkward. "Is it a full moon and I forgot about it? You're acting awfully weird."

"Nope, not a full moon. Just a regular old day." He said.

"Okay, I have to decipher the things that Derek says on a daily basis, seriously, don't make this a fucking mind game." Stiles rubbed his face with his hands.

Isaac let out a breath of laughter before breaking his gaze with a patch of carpet and looked up at Stiles. He gave the bed beside him a pat and Stiles rolled his eyes like it was the hardest thing in the world to walk five feet and sit beside him, but he did it anyway.

"Can I tell you something Stiles?"

"Does it matter if I say no?"

"_Stiles_…"

"Okay, okay… serious matter, got it. What's on your mind?" Isaac raised an eyebrow at the sarcasm that was still present in Stiles' voice, but Derek is a difficult guy to deal with so he let it slide.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before he started. "You remember how I said I had a trigger?"

Stiles thought for a minute, "yeah, some freshmen at school wasn't it?"

Isaac nodded. "Yeah… not so much." His eyes widened and he pushed out a laboured breath before closing his eyes with a sigh. "I kind of lied, I mean, I had a trigger, but it wasn't some girl at school." Stiles just gave him a look and Isaac rolled his eyes. "It was Scott, okay?"

Stiles nodded slowly, _holy crap, did he just say what I thought he said_? His mind tried to get a grip on what Isaac was saying.

"Your trigger is Scott?" Was all he could manage in response.

"_Was_, he was."

"Okay, I think my brain might just implode on itself right now. What does this have to do with anything?"

"It's the reason I left Derek's place and slept here last night."

"Why is that the reason? And you slept in my bed? How did you even get in?"

"I'm going to ignore your narcissism for five seconds…"

"Sorry, sorry, just tell me the whole story would you? I don't have enough brain function to join the dots right now." Stiles said.

Isaac started telling him about months ago when he was new to the pack, Derek's pack, and how everything had been pretty much normal, then one day he got into class and it was like his nostrils were on fire, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't see, his entire body was ready to shift in an instant.

He left right away obviously, he couldn't risk exposing himself to everyone in the room. It was only later when he realised that it was Scott that was causing it. He tried to ignore it but it was like it was controlling him, and when Derek started explaining to them what a trigger was he knew that it was what he was feeling, and he was determined to stop those feelings.

He talked to Derek, and he gave him tips on how to control the urges that it caused and he was able to be around Scott without trying to kill or screw him. He even let himself become friends with him.

"That made it a little easier I guess." He said. "I mean I don't have to explain it to you, you know what Derek's like. I was the same. The full moon made it so much worse though, I mean I had to leave when Derek was showing Jackson that he wasn't ready to stay unchained. I _really_ had to leave. I didn't want him to know, Scott I mean. Derek tracked me down and actually talked me through it. I may have yelled at him a few times because he's such a hypocrite and totally goes against all advice given…" Stiles felt a twinge at that, a familiar but still painful pang.

"Anyway… I guess, being such good friends with Scott now… things, kind of… evolved?"

"What did you do?"

"Nothing! Well, not back then anyway…" He grumbled. "I just… somehow… I think I kind of… fell for him?" He said those last words like he was asking himself if that's what had happened.

Stiles couldn't help at feel jealousy at that. Isaac's trigger had made him feel something real, and he could admit it out loud, but Derek still tried to push him away.

"… and then suddenly it was like a pressure was just, lifted." Stiles hadn't realised that he had stopped listening for a moment so he made sure to listen intently now. "I didn't feel that gut urge anymore. It was gone. The only problem is…"

"You're in love with Scott aren't you?" Stiles said.

Isaac exhaled heavily and his lips stretched into a thin line. "I'm trying not to, I really am. I want to forget everything because I _know_ that it could never happen." He left out the part about kissing him last night, he didn't want to add to his shame.

"So you're saying that he's not a trigger anymore?" Isaac shook his head. "But you still have feelings for him?"

"It's hard to explain, I think you have to know what I'm talking about to understand it. And stop hoping that it's going to be the same with Derek, can't you focus on one thing at a time?"

"I haven't had my Adderall today so excuse me if I'm a bit flighty."

Isaac sighed. "I'm going to break this because it's not good for anyone."

"You sure about that?"

"Positive." Isaac's mind thought back to the speed at which Scott had left to room last night and nodded. "You need to break my nose if you can see me even thinking about saying something to him."

"I can probably manage that, I can be Scott's stand-in dad."

"And if you tell anyone any of the things that I just said to you… I'm going to break _your_ nose." Isaac gave him a genuine smile and Stiles smirked.

"You sure you want to do that when Derek will probably kill you for it?"

"Good point." He turned away, his smile directed at his knees.

"Can I at least text Derek to say that you're not hanging up by your wrists or cut in half or anything?"

"Sure, but if you say that you found me in your bed, I am definitely going to break your nose."

Stiles just laughed.

Stiles didn't say anything about it, not even to Derek. When he asked, Stiles tried to lie but he knew that Derek could hear his heartbeat. Instead he just told him the truth; that Isaac asked him to keep his mouth shut and that's what he planned to do. If he wanted to tell Derek, he would.

Somehow Derek seemed to take it quite well and he even forced a smile when Stiles said that he had stumbled across Isaac in his bed when he was wearing nothing but a towel. There had been a fair bit of sexual torture after that. Stiles knew that it was coming; Derek was always trying to find new and exciting ways to mark Stiles as his.

Despite that, there was still no conversation like there should have been. Stiles put it down to the fact that Derek had invested himself in the pack and making sure Isaac wasn't dying or something. Scott was acting particularly weird around everyone else and Stiles had a feeling that Isaac wasn't telling him something because it couldn't just be a coincidence. Nothing around these misfit werewolves was a coincidence.

He gave himself some distance from the pack that week, he even locked his window one night, to which he was rudely awoken by Derek's constant ringing of his phone from the roof outside. He tried to explain that he just wanted to give him some time with his pack and that the crime rate was up in Beacon Hills.

Derek had just laughed because he knew that he was probably the most dangerous thing that would be coming through Stiles' window. Still, they saw less of one another that week than they had in a long time. In fact, towards the end of the week Stiles hadn't even heard from Derek in two days and he was getting cranky. He had been the one to plant the seed but it was Friday afternoon and he didn't want to spend it alone and on his computer like the last few nights.

_Stiles – _

I actually kind of miss Jackson being the Kanima. No seriously. I mean yeah he was murderous and a little psycho but at least things were interesting.

Okay, I think I should take some more meds, I can't believe I just thought that.

My dad got home early this afternoon, I think it had been a bad day at the office. I tried to get him to tell me about it but apparently I get too involved in the police cases in this town. Excuse me for trying to help.

We talked for a while before I headed back up to the glowing screen and began melting my eyeballs all over again. There may have been some porn involved but I can't be held responsible for that.

I don't know how much time had gone by between sitting down and having him call me downstairs.

"Stiles!"

"Yeah?" I yelled, not looking up from the screen.

"Get down here!"

"Why?"

"_Stiles!_" I groaned and reluctantly got up to make my way down the stairs.

If he wanted to know what kind of pizza I wanted for dinner why didn't he just yell it up at me? I trudged down each step and yawned loudly.

"Did you really need me to come all the way down here to-" I stopped when I saw Derek standing in the kitchen with my dad. "Okay, what's going on?" I folded my arms and leant against the empty fridge.

"I'll go and help him pack a bag." Derek said, almost sheepishly, and walked towards me.

"Uh huh." My dad said with one raised eyebrow and a swig of his beer.

He watched as Derek took my hand and led me up to my room.

"What's going on? Why do you look so guilty?" I said.

He rolled his eyes. "You wanted a weekend didn't you?" He said as we reached the door.

"Are you trying to be romantic?" I teased and he grabbed me roughly by the shirt.

He slung me against the wall behind my door and held his nose inches from mine, nostrils flared.

"Stiles… shut up." He growled before letting me go.

"Sour wolf." I muttered.

I saw him clench his jaw and I chuckled to myself as I grabbed a duffel bag out of my closet and threw it onto the bed.

"So where are we going?" I asked, the unexpected hint of a human soul breaking through Derek's stony exterior was making me quite chipper.

"Warm clothes and a toothbrush. Emphasis on the toothbrush." He said.

"Asshole. Answer my question."

"You can wait and see."

"Oh, so you are being romantic." I waggled my eyebrows at him.

He narrowed his eyes. "Try it one more time."

I chuckled, knowing that I should probably just smile and be thankful that this was happening at all.

I threw a whole bunch of things into the bag, heavily emphasising the packing of a toothbrush for Derek's benefit and zipped it up, ready to see where it was he was taking me.

We headed downstairs and my dad gave us both cautious looks. "You be safe now," was all he said, I could tell by the expression on Derek's face that he had said more than he needed to earlier.

I gave him a grin and he sighed, I'm pretty sure he was just glad that I was looking so happy. Derek insisted that we take the jeep so he threw his bag into the back with mine and stole the keys.

He didn't say much while we were driving, despite my desperate attempts to get him to reveal his secret. The sun was starting to set as we drove down a dirt track into the woods. I don't know what he had planned but this looks more serial killer than serial lover.

We pulled up on a small patch of dirt and Derek threw my bag to me.

"You know, when I said weekend away I didn't mean the far corners of Beacon Hills." I said.

"Would you just shut up and follow me?" He said.

I shrugged and we walked for about a mile through the trees until we came to a clearing. I have to say, it's better than I was expecting. The clearing sat on the edge of a steep slope and was surrounded by large trees that had to be tens of years old. The grass was thick and there was a stone circle that looked like it was once a fire pit for campers. As we walked into the middle of the flat clearing the view kind of took my breath away, as disgustingly cliché and that sounded. What looked like the entire town was visible with all the little lights starting to come on as the sun set over one of the distant hills.

"You still going to complain?" Derek said as he walked past me and dropped his bags to pull out a large two-man tent.

"I… not particularly no."

He seemed to know what he was doing with the tent so I left him to it. He told me that there were a couple of fold out chairs in the bag so I managed to get them sorted. I pointed them towards the town and took a seat. I was kind of mesmerised by it.

Derek, Mr outdoorsman, pulled out a box of matches to light a fire with after throwing some dried bark and wood into the circle of stones. When he was done he grabbed a few hidden beers from his pack and handed me one.

"This place is amazing, how did you find it?" I asked about an hour or so later, now onto my second beer.

Give me a break, it tastes like crap, it's beer.

He sighed as he stared down into the fire, mesmerised and the orange sparks glowing in his eyes. "We used to come here when I was a kid."

I froze for a second. Derek just mentioned his childhood. Holy crap, what do I do? I don't want to scare him into silence by getting too excited about it or asking too many questions, I just- holy crap.

"You mean like, like this?" I asked.

"Yeah, I had a big family, of werewolves, camping was almost second nature." I nodded.

"You um, you been up here recently?"

His eyes grew distant, sad and mourning. My heart broke just to see how much pain he was holding back.

"No. Not in a long time." He took a long drink and went back to staring into the fire.

"I get that." I said, breaking the silence. "I used to go to this little coffee place on the other side of town all the time but uh, but after… after mom… I guess I just couldn't really face going there without her you know?"

Shit, I haven't thought about that in a long time.

I felt Derek reach out and take my hand, something in his eyes understood. It was the first time I have seen him look at me like that, and the way he squeezed my hand just made me feel… it made me feel.

His lips turned to a smile as he looked out over the glittering town. "Me and Laura carved our names in that tree over there the last time we came here. I was only about fourteen."

I didn't say anything to that, I kind of didn't want to ruin the smile he had going. Instead I lifted his fingers to my lips and kissed them once, nuzzling my face into them after.

He looked back at me before he stood and stepped around to face me. As he pulled me up to stand in front of him, our fingers still laced together he kissed me gently and I found myself unable to think of anything in particular, just his soft wet lips and the scratchiness of his stubble on my chin.

We stepped slowly backward, his lips never getting more than half an inch away from mine as he led me to the tent. He had thrown in some pillows that he had retrieved from the jeep and two very snuggly looking blankets. We lowered ourselves inside and he slipped out of his jacket as he knelt over me.

I let my fingers lift the hem of his shirt and pull it over his head before letting them fall to the soft tight skin of his sides. His palms pushed my shirt up to reveal the pale skin of my stomach and he pressed his lips against it, pulling at it gently. I arched my back so he could remove my shirt completely and his hand brushed down over my chest.

His meandering lips trailed erratically and slowly up to my sternum and with a slight flick of his tongue my nipples, among other things, were standing erect. He suckled softly and I closed my eyes as I let out a low moan.

Derek smiled. "You don't have to be reserved out here, I can assure you that no one will hear you."

"So give me something to make some noise about." I grinned back and he gave me a chaste kiss before unbuckling his belt.

"Take them off." He breathed, tugging at my jeans.

He sat aside and watched as I followed his orders, his burning eyes causing me to wet my lips. I tucked myself under one of the blankets and he shook his head before slipping off his own jeans and tossing them aside.

I rolled onto my stomach, still concealed under the blanket from the waist down and I felt him climb under with me. His knee nestled between my thighs and he nipped at the back of my shoulders, knowing that it was a weak spot of mine.

I could feel his hot member pressed against me and I lifted my hips, causing Derek to chuckle to himself.

"Why are you so impatient tonight?" He said in a shiver inducing whisper.

"Are you saying that you want me to just act disinterested?" I asked.

He chuckled again and lifted his leg to roll me over. I looked up at those big alpha eyes and he positioned himself between my legs, running his hands over the top of my thighs. I closed my eyes at his soothing touch and exhaled in a shaky breath as he lifted my ankle to his shoulder and kissed the inside of my calf.

This was a side of Derek that I haven't seen before. I don't know what's brought it on but I know that I like it. His fingers were firm as they circled on my inner thigh and I reached up to grab his neck with my hand.

Derek leant down into me for an open mouth kiss that sent me right back to full strength arousal and I let out a strangled groan as he ground his erection into mine.

"Did you uh… did you bring-" I mumbled into his mouth.

"Stiles… what do you think?" He said, rocking his hips softly.

I laughed as he reached over to the corner of the tent and he shook his head at me as he rubbed some on his fingers.

"Do you want me to…" I asked, trying to turn my body over.

"Stop talking and just let me do this my way." He said solidly as he rubbed one finger gently against my entrance.

I just nodded as he pushed it slowly inside, and then another. Every movement of his was laboured and slow, and excruciatingly tormenting.

"Derek…" I breathed, and knowing what I wanted he propped himself up on his knees and for the first time lined himself up as he kissed me.

Derek wasn't the kind of guy to show his emotions, and doing it with me on my knees was… I guess you could say more impersonal, it meant that he could distance himself, but tonight he held his hand down on my hip, preventing me from moving, and the other was locked behind my head as he kissed me so deeply that I thought I might have been dreaming.

I let out a cry when he pushed his tip inside of me and a long drawn out groan as he filled me with his length. For the first time I could see on his face the look of pleasure as he drove himself slowly in and out of me, as he bottomed out while rocking those glorious hips ever so slightly. For the first time our eyes met as I bit down on my lip and fluttered my eyelids.

I could feel that pressure building in my stomach and I could see the sweat forming on his brow as he held himself back. His agonized grunts growing more desperate the faster he thrust and I reached down to send myself to the brink faster.

"Derek…" I panted breathlessly.

He responded with a groan and clapped a hand to my cheek, his thumb pulling down my bottom lip.

"Oh… Derek…" I had to say it, I had to.

"Don't…" Derek said with hardly any conviction.

So I didn't, and with a few more sharp tugs I felt the pressure release and I let myself release.

Derek cried out as my warmth tightened around him and soon enough he joined me in rapture. He held his shaking body above mine as the waves of pleasure tore through him and he opened his vulnerable eyes to look straight into mine. They were glowing red and I pulled him down to rest his forehead on mine, our damp sweaty bodies quivering as we reluctantly tore ourselves apart.

"That was…" I whispered, not even needed to finish the sentence.

Derek lay beside me and pulled my body into his, snuggling into me as if he was someone else, because tonight, it almost felt like he was.

"Derek…?" I said again and I felt him shake his head.

"Don't."

"You don't even know what I'm going to say."

"I do…" He said with sadness in his voice that I didn't understand. "… and just… don't." He whispered and I just nodded.

I wasn't going to say it if he didn't want to hear it. It hurt to hear him shut me down like that but in a way I saw it coming.

"Hey Derek?" I said a few minutes later.

"What?" He asked.

"We're not really going to be camping all weekend are we?" I asked to lighten the post-sex mood.

He laughed and licked at my neck, running his hand down my side. "You're not scared are you? You should know that there aren't any wolves in California."


	14. Chapter 14

_Ten Years Ago_

"Derek!" Talia called from the kitchen of the exquisite house in the woods.

Derek's ears picked up from out in the yard, which was basically just the surrounding forest, and he ran up to the porch to where his mother stood.

"Yeah mom?" He asked.

"Can you go and find your sister? We need to leave soon." She said.

Derek groaned. "Maybe we can leave her behind. Don't we see enough of her anyway?" He gave his mother a sassy smile and she gave him a good case of the Hale raised eyebrow.

"Go on then." She walked back into the house and Derek gave a playful roll of his eyes.

He was fourteen years old and even though he loved his family more than anything, these camping trips could sometimes be excruciating, especially when his little sister Cora tried to join the older kids. She was only seven so they all saw her as a child. She was feisty for such a young girl, but that comes with the werewolf gene which she had so very adorably inherited from her mother.

So Derek set out in the woods to find his sister, not Cora, but his older sister, Laura. Sixteen years old and finally finding her feet in her werewolf skin. Aside from his uncle Peter, Laura was the one he was closest to in his family. That didn't stop her from annoying the hell out of him.

He did what his mother had been teaching him and focussed all his energy on his senses, smell, sight, hearing… on the last one he picked it up, the fuzzy sounds of music playing through a set of headphones.

He rolled his eyes and started running towards the sound. As he got closer it got louder and with his wolf senses turned right up he found her with her Walkman, spinning and flicking her hair around to the tune of the song.

Not even to the song, just wildly and completely out of control, her head bobbing and a wicked grin on her face. She saw him staring at her through the trees and wiggled her fingers at him.

"Oh no." Derek said, stepping back.

She just laughed and ran forward to grab him by the wrists and began to make him dance, forcibly. Swinging his arms back and forward madly and laughing with her bright smile. Derek couldn't help but join her, cackling along and tuning in to the song playing in her ears.

She let him go as they twisted and bobbed and spun one another around. She reached out and fluffed up his hair before they started singing to the familiar chorus. They played out the song and when it was coming to an end Derek tackled her to the ground to which she countered by pinning him down easily.

"Not today little brother." She panted.

Derek squirmed and pulled a face up at her as she looked down, her chestnut hair framing her rosy grinning face.

"That would be right, I send one child out to find the other and lose you both." Talia stood behind them with her arms folded and a smile on her lips.

The two of them stopped trying to best one another long enough to stand up and give their mother a pair of innocent smiles.

"Laura, have you got a bag?" She asked.

"Mom, you've been on my back all day, so yes, I have it packed and I had a few spare minutes so I went for a walk.

"Both of you get back to the house so we can get going, you don't want to keep the rest of the family waiting do you?"

"We practically live together half the year anyway… is Uncle Peter coming this time?" Derek asked.

"Yes, I know you've missed him."

"_Mom_…" Derek said, rolling his eyes.

"Aw, don't be embarrassed baby brother."

"I'm not a baby."

"Do either of you hear me when I speak or have you learnt to drown me out?" Talia asked.

"The last one." They both said together and she batted them away and back to the house.

"Very cheeky." She whispered with a smile.

It took far longer than it should have but soon enough the three children and their parents were loaded into the car and they drove out to the secluded camping spot that they had claimed as their own.

Talia's sister's family was already there, which consisted of her husband and two young boys. Her husband and one of their sons were not wolves but they knew in very intimate detail about the family secret and were just as determined to keep it.

Derek complained about their camping trips but he loved to spend this time with his family. His mother had said that they might not be able to get out there anytime soon after this. Derek had a feeling that something was going down but it didn't concern him and quite frankly he didn't want to know. If his mother thought it important enough to keep a secret then he wouldn't question that. He just wanted to have fun anyway, be a teenager, get the girls, and of course make first string on the Beacon Hills basketball team.

He did that every year of course. There was no point in having werewolf abilities if you couldn't use them to show off.

He sat on a fallen log and stared out over the town that he loved so much. He had never lived anywhere else and if he never did he would be happy.

His appreciation of the town was interrupted by Cora tapping on his shoulder.

"Mom says that you have to share a tent with me tonight." She said in her squeaky seven-year-old voice.

"What? No, you're sharing with Laura." He shrugged her off and she tapped at him again.

"Not this time." She sang.

"I'm not sharing with you." He said.

She pouted her lips and opened her bright eyes even wider than they already were.

"Don't think that's going to change my mind." He grinned in a way that made her get angry and grow fluffy little sideburns.

Her brow jutted out and her small but sharp fangs grew over her teeth. Derek laughed as she let out a meagre growl at him and put his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay! But only because you're so terrifyingly adorable." He grabbed her in a wolf-grip hug and she squirmed.

"Hey! I am not adorable!" She squealed as she giggled, trying to get free.

Talia looked over at her only son playing with his little sister and smiled. She couldn't have hoped for a better litter of children, they were all such beautiful little souls.

"Are you admiring the brood again?" Her husband slipped his arms around her waist and she smiled.

"How could I not?" She knew that all of their ears could pick up the conversation if they wanted to.

One of the rules in her house had always been if you want to keep a secret, keep it quiet, because nothing that you said in the big house in the woods could be kept to yourself. There was always someone listening, unintentionally or otherwise.

Peter finally showed up, dressed far too well for the occasion.

"What's with the blazer?" Derek asked.

"This, my dear nephew, is what we like to call fashion." He grinned in his charming way. "I've come straight from a date to be here with the lot of you so you should feel quite important I should think."

"Yes, yes, we all feel so very loved when you're around." Talia pulled him in for a brief hug which he leant into only slightly.

The sun was almost ready to set and Derek had agreed to a game of hide and seek with his sisters and cousins, even though he thought he was too old for all of that now.

He and Laura sat perched in one of the aging trees staring out at the view.

"You think he's ever going to find us?" Derek whispered quietly.

"We'll give it another ten before he gets sick of it then show him some mercy." She smiled.

Their cousin wasn't equipped with werewolf abilities and so when his turn came around he always had the hardest time finding them.

"Do you think you'll ever leave this town?" He asked, gazing adoringly over the buildings between the hills.

Laura shrugged. "Maybe, I always wanted to see a big city."

"Why? Do you really think a werewolf would do well in a place like New York?"

She smiled wryly, "anyone would think you wanted to keep me around little brother."

"No…" Derek muttered. "I just don't know why you'd ever want to leave. I can't imagine being somewhere else."

Laura looked over at him and tilted her head. He had so much hope for the future and she couldn't wait to see what he did with his potential. She was sure that there was more for him outside Beacon Hills but if this was where he wanted to stay then she was in no position to try and talk him out of it.

She looked down at the palm of her hand as she let her claws extend. Derek noticed and looked up at her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm making sure that we never leave Beacon Hills." She said, raising her index finger to the bark on the tree.

Slowly she carved out the letters in the trunk, deep enough for them to last.

_Laura Hale_.

"There, that's me done." She looked at him expectantly and he smiled, drawing out his own claws.

_Derek Hale_.

He carved out his name below hers and they stared at it appreciatively.

"Now we can never leave." She grinned. "And you know what? I'm glad I'll be able to watch that sunset every night." She sighed and they looked out over the glowing horizon.

"You think we should put him out of his misery?" Derek asked, staring down at their cousin who was starting to look rather annoyed.

"Yeah… you first!" She said as she shoved him off his branch.

He landed with a thud on the ground and looked back up with a snarl but the laughter radiating from her smiling face was enough to make him forgive her, this time.

Derek's memories slowly faded to black and he was left staring into the dying embers in the circle of dark stones. The morning had come quickly and they had packed everything up into the jeep ready to head off again.

Stiles saw the look on his face and gave him a few minutes to be alone with whatever was running through his head. When he saw his shoulders give a heavy sigh he walked over and leant his head on his shoulder.

Derek's head rested on his and he closed his eyes, trying to get rid of those memories before even more surfaced and he was forced to face them again.

"Come on, let's go." He said, pulling himself away from Stiles and walking back to the jeep alone.

Stiles watched him walk away for a moment and sighed. He wished Derek would tell him about his family, he knew that was what he was thinking of. He could tell by the way his eyes glazed over and turned cold.

Stiles looked around at all the trees in the clearing and wondered which one held the names of him and his sister. He couldn't imagine Derek as a child; maybe that was just because any child that could have been left inside him died in the fire with the rest of his family.

With one last look over at the town he turned to walk back to the jeep with Derek.

The first part of the drive seemed to draw out in silence. Derek was clearly deep in thought, or trying not to think, and Stiles didn't want to make him angry by trying to get him to talk.

Hardly anything was said for the first hour of driving out of Beacon Hills. Derek looked over to Stiles who was staring out through the window and sighed to himself. This really wasn't what he had intended.

"I'm surprised you haven't been asking 'are we there yet' this whole time." Derek said with a smile to the side.

"I figure we'll get there when we get there." He said, not looking up.

"Okay, what's wrong?"

"What? Nothing." This time Stiles looked up at him.

"I know you weren't so fussed on the camping thing-"

"No! No, that's not it, I actually found it pretty awesome… I just, you seemed like you wanted some silence is all."

Derek had to smile at that. "Since when does that stop _you_ from talking?"

Stiles laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Derek made a turn off to the right and Stiles tried to figure out where exactly they were going.

"So, is this one of those romantic secret places too?" Stiles said eliciting a growl from Derek.

"It's nothing fancy if that's what you were hoping for." Derek said.

"I was actually just hoping for something." Stiles smiled and Derek tried to stop himself from doing the same. "So… are we there yet?"

Derek groaned and wished he hadn't said anything.

They drove for only about another hour before they reached their destination. They pulled into the parking lot of a single level hotel/motel and Derek cut the engine. Stiles opened the door and climbed out, looking over the place and nodding.

"No too shabby sour wolf, not too shabby."

Derek glared at him and slammed his door as he slung his back over his shoulder. With a grin Stiles followed him to the lobby.

They got the key to their room and Derek tried not to stare too long at Stiles' beaming face. It wasn't much, but there was a spacious bathroom and a rather comfortable looking queen sized bed.

Stiles dumped his bag by the desk in the corner and jumped onto the bed. "Oh yeah, this is nice."

Derek rolled his eyes and heard Stiles' stomach rumble loudly.

"Hungry?" Derek said.

"Of course, I'm always hungry." Derek shook his head to which Stiles replied with a smile. "Know what I'm thinking?"

"I'd be pretty uncomfortable if I did."

Stiles was about to complain but shrugged instead, knowing that he did have a pretty freaky mind sometimes. "Room service."

They ordered in enough food for three people and finished every last bit of it. Derek took the keys and left to get them something to drink for the night and Stiles tested out every button and switch in the room. Nothing interesting happened really; he just managed to figure out how to work the TV, not that there was anything good on.

When Derek came back through the door with a bag full of food and booze in one hand and his phone in the other Stiles took his chance to raise his eyebrow.

"Who are you talking to?" He asked and Derek put down the bag without even looking up from the small screen.

"Erica's trying to move in to my loft." He said grouchily.

_Why is everything always about those damned werewolves?_ Stiles thought. "So?"

"So? I already have one teenage misfit housed in there I don't need another one." He said.

"Okay you know what?" Stiles jumped up and snatched the phone out of Derek's hand.

He gave him an exhausted look. "What are you doing?"

He took his own phone from his pocket and put them both on the bedside table.

"Tonight there will be no werewolf stuff, okay?"

"You don't really have the presence to-"

"Hey! I said no wolf stuff so there will be no wolf stuff!" Stiles said with his best what-you-going-to-do-about-it face on.

Derek's lips twitched into a smile. "Fine, I take it you're hungry again."

"Yeah you're going to need to feed my like six times a day." Stiles grinned and rustled through the bag for some chips.

He found a bottle of whiskey and grinned at it to which Derek snatched it away and shook his head. They were not having a repeat of the last weekend. Stiles threw himself back on the bed, satisfied now with his food and Derek took a seat at the desk.

They chatted on and off while they leisurely watched the TV.

"What's it like being a werewolf?" Stiles asked seemingly out of the blue.

Derek just looked at him for a moment. "Why?"

Stiles shrugged. "I don't know, just what's it like?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know, seriously? Derek don't be a douche."

Derek shook his head. "I've been one my whole life so maybe you can answer what it's like to be human."

"It sucks. You're squishy and weak and pretty lacking in the facial hair, not to mention the fact that if my leg breaks I'm stuck in a cast for six weeks and have to get used to walking again. If that happened to you you'd be standing in like ten seconds."

"Are you saying you want to be a wolf?" Derek asked, a little surprised.

Stiles thought for a second. "No, no I think I'll just stay my squishy, vulnerable, _human_ self." He nodded but Derek didn't completely believe him.

"When you put it like that you could say that being a wolf forces you to stay in constant control, makes you want to tear out throats once a month and you hear everything, even if you don't want to hear it." He said.

Stiles smirked a little. "Greener grass Derek, greener grass."

Derek just chuckled.

He poured them out a drink each and Stiles grinned.

"Never have I ever…" He said, shooting Derek his smile.

"Really?" Derek said.

"Scaredy-wolf." Stiles said and Derek was almost stunned at the amount of wolf puns Stiles came out with.

They went a few rounds with Derek naming anything to get Stiles to drink, purely and simply to show Stiles who the alpha was. Stiles was worse at this game. Almost everything he said Derek just grinned at him and it was on to his turn again.

"Never have I ever taken drugs… unless you count prescription, does that count? If it does I should probably-"

"It doesn't count Stiles. You know what you meant." Derek said with a smile and took a casual sip of his glass.

Stiles almost missed it but he paused and gave Derek a look. "Did you just drink to that?"

Derek just gave him a look.

"Oh my god you totally did." Derek rolled his eyes and Stiles bobbed his head up and down. "What a badass you are Derek." He said sarcastically. "When? Where? _What_?"

"Okay, you are far too interested in this." He said.

"Oh come on, I didn't think you would _actually_ drink to that. Tell me."

Derek sighed, he should have just lied. Stiles gave him a little smile that he thought was cute, and it kind of was.

"It was about six years ago, in the city, and it was something you've heard of." Derek said.

"Which city? Are you really going to make this a guessing game for me?"

"No, I'm just going to leave it at that because it was a long time ago."

"Six years ago huh?" Stiles said slowly.

"Stiles, you don't need to connect the dots, okay?" He could see that Derek didn't want to talk about it and from the look on his face; he was right about his theories.

Six years ago Derek's family burned to death in his house in the woods. Six years ago he had left Beacon Hills with his sister Laura after being unable to face what had happened. He was distraught, broken and convinced that his relationship with Kate had something to do with what happened but unable to tell Laura about it. He thought that the fates of his family fell on his shoulders and it took its toll on the sweet boy that used to live inside of him. He was eighteen when it happened, he was hardly a child, but he had also taken the life of his first real love, Paige.

Even at eighteen all of that weight fell hard on him and crushed him to the point where he became unrecognisable to his sister. She had become hard and tough after losing everything but she hadn't lost herself as completely as Derek had.

He had gone on a bender that lasted so long that he lost a year of his life in memories. Too bad he couldn't lose the memories that he was trying to burn. He had taken some hard-core stuff in the city. He wasn't even sure which one anymore; Laura dragged him all over the country trying to break his habit. In the end she almost killed him to save him from his destructive path.

He had never been addicted, his wolf stopped him from succumbing to something physical like that, but mentally he needed to forget, he needed to try. Laura pulled him back over the edge. She tied him in their hotel room for a week, tightly enough to hold him, and sat with him.

She bombarded him with the memories he had been running from. She shifted and clawed him until his clothes were tattered and torn and the tiled kitchen floor was covered in his spattered blood. Most of all she cried. She cried and begged him to come back to her, because she felt like it was him who died in the fire along with all the others.

When that didn't work, she left. She untied the ropes and left. He didn't know where it was that she went or if she was even coming back. After two weeks of waiting for her, the sinking feeling hit home. He had pushed her so far that she wouldn't come back, she was gone.

He kept paying for the room, he paid three months up front and they came and went without a sign of her. He wouldn't leave; he couldn't leave in case she came back for him.

Safe to say he didn't touch the drugs he was on after that, once in a while he drowned himself in a bottle of whiskey and refused to leave the room but his days of substance abuse were done.

When he ran out of the money she had left him with he lived in and around the hotel, wherever he could find a place to sleep because he had to wait for her to come back. Maybe it sounds weak for a nearly twenty year old man to be sleeping outside a cheap hotel when he could be finding a job and somewhere new, but he had no other way of finding Laura, not anymore.

It was on the eve of his twentieth birthday when the familiar scent filled his nostrils and he was sure he had starved to death or frozen in the wintery rain. He squinted through the pouring droplets and the blurry silhouette bent down to push the damp fringe out of his face.

_Derek_… she had whispered before carrying him inside and paying for a room. He blacked out and the next few days were a blur. When he awoke, Laura was by his side and he vowed that he wouldn't let anything be his downfall. Anything or anyone.

She made him promise that they protected one another and never put anything before themselves, because that was the important thing now. _Next time I'm gone, you take care of yourself. Screw everyone else. I need to know that you're safe_. Derek agreed and to seal their vow they got matching triskellion tattoos between their shoulder blades, covering their backs.

"Derek?" Stiles said, slightly worried that Derek had drifted off into his own world again.

He looked up, confused and raw from his memories. Instead of trying to destroy them he now used them to make him stronger. The more pain he let himself feel the stronger he became.

"I said sorry." He shrugged a little sheepishly, now sitting on the edge of the bed.

Derek shook his head. "It was after I left Beacon Hills with Laura, after-"

"Don't." Stiles said and Derek gave him a strange look. "I don't want you to tell me because I've been bugging you. If you want to tell me you can tell me when we get back."

Stiles stood up and walked over to give Derek a warm, wet kiss on his lips.

Derek sighed and closed his eyes. "You're just saying that because you're hungry again."

"Maybe." Stiles mumbled into his cheek.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Come on."

They headed out for dinner, not even realising how late it had become. The sun was just about to drop under the horizon as they headed into the city for something to eat. Stiles, of course, couldn't decide so Derek had to make the choice.

By the time they got back to the hotel it was late and the two weren't so worried about what to watch on the TV anymore. Stiles was lying on the bed after just having kicked off his shoes and looked up at Derek who was staring at him in a way that he was sure wasn't meant to be sexy but definitely was. He climbed over him and kissed him hard on the mouth. Stiles put up his leg to let Derek press his hips down into his own and smiled as he groaned. He reached down to squeeze Derek's ass to which he replied by nipping at his bottom lip.

After all this time of sleeping together Stiles still didn't get tired of the feeling of Derek's body pressed against him. His lips made their way over his jaw and down to his neck where they sucked ever so lightly and tortuously. Stiles slipped his hands under the hem of Derek's shirt and began to breathe heavily before Derek's phone began to ring on the table beside them.

Derek pulled away and rolled over to see who was calling. Stiles groaned loudly and to make a point but Derek ignored him.

"It's Scott." He said, about to answer it.

Stiles leapt up and lay over Derek's back, grabbing his wrist tightly. "Oh no you don't! You said no wolf stuff so you are going to put that down right now."

Derek chuckled. "Oh really?"

"Yes." Stiles said, snatching the phone from him and swiping the little red button.

He pressed it down on the table and let go of Derek. He rolled onto his back and gave Stiles a look with a shake of the head. "Satisfied?" He said.

"Uh, nowhere near it, not yet anyway." He straddled Derek's hips and leant in to kiss him again.

It was only about a minute later when the phone rang again. Derek reached out to take it but Stiles, getting particularly annoyed at Scott, pinned down his wrist. Derek looked up at him.

"What did I just say?"

"Are you going to stop me?"

"Yeah, I said no wolf stuff, and I meant it." Stiles reached for the phone and shut it off.

Derek looked up at him with a dark look on his face and his lips curled into a seductive smile.

_Holy crap, is this working?_ Stiles thought to himself, his heartbeat racing. He held down Derek's wrist and reached out to grab the other. Derek wasn't resisting and as much as he could overpower Stiles if he wanted to, he wasn't. Stiles' tongue ran slowly over his bottom lip as he stared down at Derek underneath him.

"Take off your shirt." He said, releasing his wrists.

_Holy shit this is working,_ Stiles thought as Derek reached down and pulled his shirt over his head. He traced his fingertips over Derek's sculpted chest and shimmied back, hands shaking as he began to unbuckle his belt. Derek closed his eyes and leant his head back, listening to Stiles' elevating heartbeat as he took control.

Stiles pulled his jeans down and off his ankles, dropping them on the floor behind the bed. There was a large bulge in Derek's boxer briefs and Stiles was starting to get even more aroused at the way Derek was letting him take control of his body, of the moment.

He leant down to run his hot tongue over the cut marks under his hips and Derek let out a low groan at the touch. He gripped the waistband of his underwear with one hand as his tongue continued its assault on Derek's skin. Using the palm of his hand he rubbed the swollen member in slow pulses making Derek groan louder this time as he reached out to tangle his fingers in his short hair.

His still trembling hands pulled down his underwear, eyes darting up to see the look on Derek's face. His lips were parted and his eyes were closed, his fingers gently circling on the back of his head.

Once the boxers had joined his jeans on the floor Stiles took Derek's rigid cock in his hand and wet his lips to take the tip between them. Derek let out a gasp at the touch and became far less restrained the further Stiles took. He gently pulled at the head with his lips a few times before taking more of him in. He inched his way down and Derek had to bit his lip painfully to stop from bucking himself in further.

Derek's panting grew sharper as Stiles was able to take more of him, and he moaned quite loudly when Stiles took in his whole length. His free hand gripped tightly to the bed sheets as he switched from slow and torturous to quick pumps. He tightened his grip in his hair as he felt himself getting closer to his peak and made a low whimpering sound as he pulled away.

He looked up at Stiles' face, which was now hovering inches above his as he panted, his eyes full of shameless desire.

Stiles had a look of confidence on him that Derek had never seen before. It could have been because he had let him take the reins for the first time, or it could be a hidden side of him that hasn't shown itself until this point. Either way, Derek found that he was actually enjoying having him tell him what to do. He was enjoying it immensely.

"Turn over." Stiles demanded, voice ragged with unrestrained lust.

Derek rolled onto his knees and heard Stiles removing his shirt and jeans quickly before pressing his body against him and leaving a trail of white hot kisses up his spine.

He was determined not to let himself give in to the satisfaction. It was one thing to have the control, to take control of the moment and to bury himself in Stiles but it was another to relinquish that, to let Stiles in. To let Stiles take from him everything that made him an alpha, his strength and his dominance, his power, to subdue them and reveal his weaknesses, to show him the weakness inside of him.

And what made him weak was his inability to control himself around Stiles, and to submit was to reveal much more to himself and Stiles than he ever intended to. The inability to control his desires and hold off this submission came with the close of his eyes and the parting of his lips in an agonised groan as Stiles nipped hard at the back of his neck, and in that moment he let himself submit.

Stiles reached down to grab what he needed from Derek's bag and kissed Derek in his lower back, sending a shiver back up his spine. He reached back to pull Stiles into his hips and he knew that Derek wanted him, was ready for him. He pressed himself against his entrance and forced himself only an inch inside.

Derek's groan sounded more like a growl and Stiles could see his extended claws tearing at the sheets as he slowly pushed himself deeper inside, his own body convulsing at the feeling of Derek's heat surrounding him. As he picked up the pace, his hands on Derek's hips to pull them back into him, Derek lifted one hand to hold the headboard and the other to grip tightly to Stiles' fingers.

He leant down to kiss Derek, right in the centre of his triskellion tattoo and let out a strangled grunt as he felt the earth-shattering pressure building inside of him. Derek's eyes glowed red as he gasped and he let go of his restraint.

He gave Stiles the control over him that he had been resisting until this moment. He had tried to hide from himself and the things that he wanted because how could he let him know exactly what he felt, exactly what that meant? He wasn't supposed to have this flaw; he had promised Laura that no one would make him weak. But he would release himself to him anyway and Stiles knew what it meant.

How many times had he tried to push something with Derek only to be shut down? His urge to keep himself guarded and hidden from anything he could possibly be feeling was being denied in this moment because feeling something felt better than he ever thought it could.

The optimism he would need to believe in that was long gone and for all Stiles knew, it would only be one night that Derek allowed himself to get lost in what he was feeling. It was something he swore he would never do again, not after everything, and bristling in his core he knew that it was a mistake.

Little did he know just how right he would be.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Just a little note to the guest who mentioned the part about the sex - I know that it involves a lot more than what I have written, but I was trying to focus more on the relationship side of it rather than the actual act of the sex. I CAN include these details if people would like me to but I didn't think they were crucial to the building of their relationship. At least not the way I was trying to move it along.

So I am sorry if it made this a little less realistic and I'll try to add some of these details but like I said, I think they're implied enough as it is and the act of sex isn't the main purpose of those scenes. I do appreciate your feedback though, and thank you kindly.

Shall I just shut up now? I think yes.

Stiles woke the next morning still feeling drunk with the ecstasy of last night. He rolled onto his back, making a tent with the covers because, hey, it was morning and he was still very much aroused. Especially so when he turned to the side to see Derek lying on his stomach, the sheet beginning just below his hips and looking unbelievably sexy.

He sighed as he tried to readjust himself just to end up even more aroused. He reached out to stroke the gorgeous toned lines of Derek's back, his fingers tracing the lines of his triskellion.

Derek let out a consented sigh before rolling onto his back and allowing Stiles' fingers to drag from his shoulders and over his chest and stomach. He was still half asleep but that didn't stop him from reacting to Stiles' wandering hands.

Stiles crept closer until he was able to press his body into Derek and swiftly position himself above him. Derek crooned as Stiles suckled at his neck, leaving bruises that healed almost instantly. Derek lifted his hands and took hold of his hips, holding him firmly in place.

"You're feisty this morning," Derek groaned, gently rocking his hips upward.

Stiles muttered a feverish 'uh-huh' into Derek's neck as he kissed his way down over his collarbone and flicking his tongue over his peaked nipple.

Derek dropped his head back and once again his hand was tangled in Stiles' hair. He not so subtly tugged him down and Stiles chuckled.

"Is that how it is huh?" He said with an arrogant smirk.

"You know I can make you, it's just easier if you play along." Derek growled, his smile just as cocky.

He was enjoying Stiles' new-found confidence, it was almost better that ordering him around. Almost.

"Hey, I'm not complaining." Stiles said before he was wrapping his lips around Derek's erect member.

He didn't hesitate this time. From the first elated groan that escaped Derek's lips he was performing a vigorous assault of fellatio that made Derek's toes curl and his voice grow ragged as he gave Stiles more than adequate encouragement.

"Stiles…" Derek panted in a slow, uneven breath.

He didn't respond, didn't even look up from the tantalising acts that he was performing with his tongue.

"Stiles…" Derek pleaded.

"What?" He mumbled, his mouth full.

Derek's eyes closed tight at the vibration and he let out an agonized growl to which Stiles pulled away and held his body over Derek's with an annoyance in his eyes.

Derek's face was contorted, his jaw slack and eyes glowing blood red with fangs growing from behind his lips. He looked more like his wolf-self than he did human and Stiles swallowed hard.

"I think there is something seriously wrong with me because I find that impossibly hot."

Derek let out an inhuman growl and rolled Stiles over, positioning himself firmly between his legs. He kissed Stiles on his neck, his teeth grazing the skin and making both of their hearts beat faster. He slipped a finger inside him and Stiles let out a gasp before digging his nails into Derek's shoulder, biting his lip as he added another. His hold grew ever tighter as Derek angled his fingers upwards, bending his knuckle to hit his sweet spot.

"Oh… _migod_…" Stiles panted before Derek gave another few flicks and pulled his fingers out to press himself against his entrance. He stared down into Stiles' eyes as he pushed his heat inside him. His body couldn't wait but the human side of him controlled himself long enough to save from hurting Stiles. Not that he even seemed to notice, his eyes rolled back in his head and he let out a strangled groan as Derek rocked his hips.

His elbows rested by Stiles' chest and their lips were but an inch from one another. Stiles looked up, lips parted, eyes hungry as they stared into Derek's wild red irises. He slipped his tongue out to slide it up one of his extended canines and when its tip reached the underside of Derek's lip he crashed them down into Stiles' for a greedy kiss.

He thrust his hips faster, emitting a low whine into Stiles' mouth and pulling apart to breathe. Derek's legs shook as the white hot light engulfed him and he inclined his hips to give Stiles what he needed before letting himself go inside him.

Derek's quivering arms barely held himself up as Stiles finished, his face contorted with a satisfied smile, his lips parted to allow for his ragged breaths.

He rolled over onto his back and the both of them struggled to catch their breath.

"You know what? We should just… stay here. _Screw_ Beacon Hills… sex is so much better on… vacation." Stiles said, still in the process of recovery.

Derek chuckled a little but said nothing as he gathered himself. Stiles took a few minutes to let himself come down from the high before rolling onto his side. He looked down at Derek, his eyes closed as if he were sleeping, and placed his hand gently on his cheek. It didn't take long for his lips to find their pair and they kissed him lightly. They lingered for a moment before he pulled back, his thumb still caressing his cheek.

Derek opened his eyes to see Stiles gazing down at him and reached up to run his fingers through his hair. He heard Stiles' heart begin to beat faster so he pulled himself away, sitting up on the edge of the bed.

"I'm taking a shower." He said firmly and didn't miss the sigh that Stiles was trying to hide.

He stood up and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Stiles flopped back onto the bed and made a number of babbling noises before deciding to join him.

_Derek – _

I told him to pack his things before we had breakfast. Naturally he didn't listen.

If he was a werewolf member of the pack he wouldn't have a choice. It's pretty frustrating to be the alpha of a pack with humans; they didn't respect the position of alpha. Then again, it makes me angry that I actually _enjoy_ his defiance.

It took a few intense glares to make him gather all of his stuff. I know that he was stalling. I could see it in that cheeky glint in his eye. He is almost definitely the most infuriating person I have ever met.

I'm going to include my uncle in this.

He's given me a lot to think about lately but I try to keep most of that to myself and block him out. I don't need anyone trying to get me to do things the way they want.

That's why it's amusing that I enjoy the way Stiles tries it. I don't know where his lack of fear comes from, he's almost attracted to danger.

At least, that's the only way I could describe his attraction for me; for all of me. Being part wolf isn't exactly something that makes you better. There's a reason it's called the cursed bite.

Obviously it has its perks, healing and intensified senses, but there is _always_ a cost. Part of the package I guess.

"Well come on Sour wolf." My skin prickled.

"Do you_ have _to keep calling me that?" I asked, turning around to see him grinning like an idiot.

"We've been through this Derek; I don't like it any more than you do."

"You better wipe that smile off your face and get in the jeep. _Now_."

I'm just glad that he doesn't know that I actually _do_ like it. Mostly it irritates me, but sometimes… it's not so bad.

He climbed into the passenger seat because I insisted on driving, mainly because I don't think Stiles brought enough Adderall for the weekend. There was quite a while back to Beacon Hills so I let him fiddle with the radio as we began the drive.

When we got about an hour in he decided that there was nothing good on the current channel and began flicking from one to another incessantly. The sharp changes in pitch and tone, from music to chatting hosts to advertisements, was infuriating to my sensitive ears. The longer he continued the more frustrated I got and on about the twentieth skip I snapped.

"Stiles! Would you pick one and stick with it?"

He raised an eyebrow at me and made one more switch before sitting back in his seat.

"You know, I really don't know how you don't get the whole 'sour wolf' thing." He smirked.

I shook my head. "The sound changes from soft to sharp to loud, ever think that my ears might be hearing that differently to you?" I looked sideways at him and he thought about it.

"Alright you win…you're still a sour wolf though." He said that last part in almost a breath.

"Heard that."

He smiled.

He sat on his phone for a while in blissful silence but I knew that it was never going to last, it never did. He tossed his phone onto the dash after about half an hour and sighed, shuffling about to try and get comfortable.

"So…" he said, looking over at me.

"What?"

"I don't know, you're just quiet."

"I'm always quiet." I said.

"True, but you know."

"No Stiles, I don't." I said, starting to get annoyed.

I know where he wants this to go. He thinks that I can't read him but I can, he tries it enough that I'm used to it now. He wants me to talk more about what we were saying last night and I don't plan on it. He was right to stop me from saying anything because I'm glad now that I said nothing.

"I mean you seem quieter than usual." I rolled my eyes at him and he scoffed. "If you want to be a douche then whatever."

I groaned. "_Stiles_… if you want to ask me something just do it. Stop trying to get me to bring something up that you know I'm not going to."

He sighed. "Well… I mean last night you said something about you and Laura…"

I felt myself tense up. I knew this was coming and I don't want to talk about her. Her chapter is closed, done. She's dead and that's not going to change.

"I just… I mean you don't have to say much, it's just that I know you left Beacon Hills for a while but I have no idea what happened between then and when you came back."

"Are you finished?" I asked.

He nodded to himself. "Yeah, yeah I'm finished."

And then he went quiet. If there's one thing worse than his incessant talking it's his silence. He doesn't realise it but he says far more when he says nothing.

I sighed. I knew I would have to say something.

"I left with Laura as soon as I could, we never really stayed in one place for too long."

"Derek, you don't want to say anything so don't, okay?" I wasn't expecting the frustration in his voice but I didn't say anything more.

The rest of the trip was marred by silence. Clearly being locked up in an enclosed space was not a good idea.

It was mid-afternoon by the time we got back. He seemed to be cold with me still and I didn't push him. For some reason he still decided to come up to the loft with me.

I don't think I'll ever understand what makes his mind tick.

I threw my bag down on the couch and headed into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

I heard someone walking quickly down the stairs and at first thought it could have been Isaac but his scent was different. It was Jackson.

"Dude, where have you been?" He said.

Something was off.

"We went out of town, I told Scott and he told Boyd… why, what's the matter with you?" Stiles said.

I could sense that something wasn't right. He seemed frantic, he was already beginning to sweat and I could smell the nerves on him.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He swallowed hard and looked me dead in the eye.

"It's Isaac."

Jackson didn't have to say more than that for them all to get into their separate cars and drive to the hospital. Derek tried to question him about it but he said that Scott knew more than he did.

Stiles knew that something was severely wrong if Jackson was this worked up. He didn't get worked up about much, but the pack was something that now had a whole new effect on him and it was hitting him hard.

Derek, well he was just unreadable. He had a dark expression and fierce eyes that actually kind of scared Stiles but he drove with them to find out what the hell was going on.

He made it to the hospital first and parked as close as he could. He rushed into the buzzing ER room and his eyes found Melissa McCall on the phone at the front desk. She looked up to see him standing there and covered the mouthpiece with one hand.

"Third floor, corridor on the left, room 42E." She said, not even needing to ask.

He nodded thanks and rushed to the elevators. "Come on, come on, come _on_!" He hissed.

They were slow and sluggish and he was wishing he had taken the stairs. When it finally hit the third floor he practically forced his way through the doors. Running down the left corridor he frantically checked the ward numbers, C, D, E… _E_!

He entered the ward and didn't have to look far for the room. Behind a shrouded curtain was bed 42 and he tore back the green sheet. Scott sat beside the bed, pushing the curly mop off of Isaac's sweaty forehead and staring stoically down at him.

Isaac was quite pale, a tube extending from his throat and a drip in his left arm.

"Holy shit what happened?!" Stiles said and Scott looked up.

"I… I don't really know." Scott said croakily.

"He found him in the forest." Stiles spun around to see Erica walking over to the bed, Boyd not far behind. They both had hard faces and Erica's arms were folded over her chest.

The three of them looked up and Stiles heard heavy footsteps approaching. Derek and Jackson walked over and Derek's face became even darker when he saw Isaac's unmoving body.

He looked over him carefully, his mind ticking over as he tried to understand it. "What happened?" He asked without looking up.

"I don't really know, he was practically unconscious when I found him." Scott said.

"Practically?" Derek raised an eyebrow, clearly not impressed with the fuzzy detail.

"He was seizing when I got there." Boyd said.

"Can someone please do this in chronological order?" Derek spat.

Most of them looked over at Scott who sighed. "He wanted to go for a walk, I don't know, clear his head or something. I know his usual trail and I got worried about him when he didn't come back so I went out looking and… and I found him struggling to breathe.

"That's when I called Boyd and Erica to come and help." He looked to them for help.

"We weren't long, like Boyd said, he started seizing when we showed up and after that he's just been unconscious." Erica bit her lip, clearly worried about Derek's reaction.

"Is he healing?" Derek asked.

"We can't tell." Boyd said.

"So why bring him here?" Derek hissed.

"We tried calling Deaton but he's not even _in_ Beacon Hills, he's gone until tomorrow." Jackson said, clearly frustrated.

"There wasn't really another choice Derek!" Scott said, raising his voice.

"You two," He looked over at Erica and Boyd. "Get down to the clinic and see if you can find another number for Deaton or wherever he's gone."

"Can we even get into that place?" Erica asked.

"So hijack Lydia and get her to break the seal." Derek growled.

"If you go through the back door you should be able to get in fine, it works for me." Scott said and they rushed away quickly.

Derek looked up at the drip that they had running into his arm and looked as though he might push his hair out of his face like Scott had, but he didn't.

"We tried calling you too you know." Jackson said quietly.

Derek looked up with cold eyes, staring straight at Stiles, "yeah, I know." He said.

Stiles tried to stifle his scoff by sucking his lips into his mouth but part of it made its way out.

"Hey, don't blame him." Scott said.

"Did I say that I did?" Derek snapped.

"You didn't have to, it's not like you could have done anything even if I did get through to you."

"Scott, don't. Like, really, don't worry about it." Stiles said. "He's going to blame me anyway."

Derek didn't look at him; he just stared down at Isaac, trying to figure it out.

"Hey, we don't know what happened so I doubt you could have figured it out." Scott snapped.

"I could have been here." Derek snarled, the two of them pulling back their shoulders with their nostrils flared.

"Whoa, chill out." Jackson said, taking a step in front of Stiles.

In any other situation Stiles may have found that kind of sweet but he would have to revisit that thought at a better time because right now, Derek was ready to slash throats.

"You were with him before it happened?" Derek asked Scott.

"Yeah, so?"

"So take me to where you were. Now."

Scott sighed and shook his head.

"Do you need us to do anything?" Jackson asked.

Derek looked from him to Stiles and back again. "You can come with me." With a bitter glare he turned back to Stiles. "You… I think you need to go home."

Stiles bit his tongue and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah I figured you'd say that." He said in an equally icy tone.

"Derek you really need to-"

"Scott, just don't, okay? Thanks, but I'll be fine." He said and Scott gave him a nod before the three of them headed out of the ward.

Stiles sighed, running his hand through his hair and collapsing in the chair next to Isaac's bed.

"Oh Isaac, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?"

_Jackson – _

We headed back to Derek's place. I swear this is just a big circle we're going in. We don't even know what the hell is wrong with him. How is this going to help? Whatever.

For some reason I have this churning in my gut that won't seem to go away. I'm pretty sure it's a wolf thing because otherwise this pack is getting a little too intimate. So yeah, I'm going with the wolf thing.

We headed back to Derek's place and Scott led us up the stairs to Isaac's room. As he opened the door I whistled. It was a freaking mess in there. It was like someone tore the place up.

"What the hell happened in here?" I said.

I felt Scott's mood change and both Derek and I looked over at him.

"We uh… we kind of had a fight." He said sheepishly.

"You and _Isaac_? You and Erica maybe but what the hell would you and Isaac have to fight about?" I scoffed.

"None of your business." He snapped.

"After you fought, is that when he left?" Derek asked, completely bypassing the amusement factor.

"He needed to cool off so he left. I felt pretty bad about it and he left his phone here so I wanted to wait for him to get back so we could sort it out. After an hour I got worried."

"Take us down the trail you went. You said you know where he runs. Lead the way."

I've got to say, not many people scare me, but right now Derek was looking pretty damn mean. He went after Stiles pretty harshly too. I don't really care what that was about though, they can keep it to themselves. I don't do drama. Not if I can help it.

Scott nodded and once again we were off, this time we were on foot. Which sucked. I mean I want to find out what the hell happened to Isaac too but now it's just like we're putting ourselves in harm's way to figure it out. I guess we're stronger in numbers this time.

Stiles had stayed at the hospital with Isaac. He was thinking about what the hell could have happened and why he wasn't healing properly.

He was also pretty pissed at Derek for blaming him. He was always going to though, wasn't he? If Stiles knew what Scott had been calling about he never would have hung up the phone, obviously. And Derek didn't do a whole lot to get to that phone.

He shook his head. _That's not exactly the most important thing right now Stiles!_ He thought to himself.

He jumped as the curtain pulled back and Lydia flinched at the sight of him.

"Stiles! I didn't think you were back." She said, putting the bouquet of flowers down beside the bed.

"Yeah… seems like it was just the right time too." He said.

She looked over at Isaac and nodded to herself. "So how was your weekend?"

"Can we not talk about asshole werewolf boyfriends right now?" He said and dragged his hands down his face.

She put up her hands and pouted her lips. "Say no more. If anyone can relate, it's me." She gave him a wry little smile at the end.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Well… I just didn't want him to be here all alone when he wakes up." She said, sitting gracefully on the end of the bed.

"_If_ he wakes up."

"Positivity Stiles."

"What even happened? I mean what the hell incapacitates a werewolf?!" He said.

"I'm sure there are a number of things." Lydia said.

"I've only heard of mountain ash and that so does not look like this."

"Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean that it isn't out there." She said with a roll of her eyes. "God, Stiles, you're thinking about this all wrong."

"Oh really?" He said, folding his arms and she nodded.

"You can't just jump straight to what happened. Have you asked yourself why he was out in the woods at night?"

"He went for a walk to clear his head, and he's a werewolf so why wouldn't he be in the woods?" Lydia rolled her eyes.

"Why did he need to clear his head?"

"Well he-" Stiles let his mouth hang open as he tried to think of something and failed.

Lydia gave him a haughty smile and he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah okay. That doesn't help us though." This time he gave her a confident smile and she shook her head with a sigh.

Both of them jumped as the curtain was pulled back and Mrs McCall walked though.

"Oh! I thought you guys left earlier." She said as she put her stethoscope in her ear and pressed the other end to Isaac's chest.

"The others did. We figured someone should be here with him." Stiles said and Lydia raised an eyebrow at him.

"Any change?" She asked.

Melissa shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. His lungs are still struggling."

"What, uh, what exactly is wrong with him?" Stiles asked.

"Well, I'm just a nurse I'm not his doctor." She said.

"But you do know what's going on, right?" Lydia gave her widest eyes and Melissa sighed.

"We think it's an infection, I've seen a few cases before and this strain usually attacks the lungs first, putting the patient in a coma. At this stage he's doing better than the other ones I've seen but maybe that's just because he's a… _werewolf_." She whispered that last bit, still pretty new to the whole thing. "They're giving him antibiotics so hopefully that'll do him some good over the next few hours." She smiled and picked up his chart to mark off her check-up. "Honestly I don't have anything else to tell you. If I find anything out I'll let you know, he's a pretty good kid." She gave him a sad smile before she headed out to check up on her other patients.

"There you go, infection. So there must be something out there that's poisonous to werewolves." Lydia said.

Stiles nodded, his head already thinking things through. If they could figure out what was around him when he started reacting then they could maybe figure out how to stop it. He jumped up and Lydia just looked at him.

"Come on, we've got to get down to the woods where he went walking." He said.

"What? Why?"

"We've got to figure out what this thing is because if the doctors don't know, they can't treat him. We should have something to go on when Deaton gets back." He said.

"And this involves me going into the woods to look for some werewolf kryptonite?" She asked derisively.

"Come on Lydia, I wouldn't ask if this weren't important. Look at him and tell me you don't see the importance in at least trying?" He said.

She shook her head and closed her eyes before throwing up her hands. "Fine. Just one question; where exactly are we supposed to be looking?"

Stiles paused for a second, "that's a good question."

After sending a few dozen texts to Scott, to which he finally replied with a location, Stiles and Lydia were headed into the forest.

"I cannot believe I'm doing this." She said as she carefully manoeuvred around sticks and leaves trying to keep up with Stiles.

"You didn't have to wear heels." He called back.

"I was going to the hospital, not on a hike!"

"Why do you need to wear heels to the hospital?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Stiles rolled his eyes and helped her over a fallen log. "I think I see a path up here."

"How do you know that this is even the place that Scott told you about?" She asked as they followed a much less arduous path into the woods

"You might be surprised but I actually know the place he's talking about. We went there once to get drunk." He smiled, remembering a simpler time.

Kind of.

"Why didn't you just do it in your room like normal teenagers?" She said.

"Why don't you stop bringing crazy people back to life… like a normal teenager?" She narrowed her eyes at him and he looked away a little guiltily.

"One of these days Stiles, you're going to say the wrong thing to the wrong werewolf, and they are going to make sure you don't say anything ever again." She gave him a sweet smile and walked ahead of him.

"Hey, did you just threaten me indirectly?" He asked trailing after her quickly.

Scott, Derek and Jackson were already at the spot where they had found Isaac.

"Can you smell that?" Jackson asked, a strange scent filling his nostrils.

"Did you smell that last night when you were here?" Derek asked, turning to look at Scott.

"I can't remember, I was a little distracted." He said snippily.

"Try."

"Maybe, okay? I don't know Derek." Scott said.

Jackson's ears picked up movement and a familiar smell filled his nostrils. "Lydia?" He called.

Scott and Derek turned to look in the direction of the scent. Derek's nostrils flared when he realised that Stiles and Lydia were out here too.

"Derek!" Scott tried to grab him as he stormed over to the pair of them and grabbed Stiles by the shirt, pressing him roughly into a tree.

Lydia jumped aside and Jackson gave her a look. "What are you doing here?" He said.

"Trying to find something to help Isaac." She replied. "I didn't know that was against your little werewolf law." She directed some of that at Derek and he snarled.

"I told you to go home." He growled at Stiles.

"Yeah, and I didn't. Scott's mom told me that they think it's an infection and I think they're wrong." Stiles said.

"This doesn't concern you." He scowled.

"Why? Because I'm not a werewolf or because you want to blame me for the fact that you feel guilty?" He wasn't afraid and he balled his hands up in Derek's shirt, pushing back just as much as he was being pushed.

"Get out of here." Derek let him go and turned his back.

"_Fuck_, Derek! You're not the only one who wants to get to the bottom of this. Whatever's happened to Isaac affects all of us. Not just you. And it's no one's fault."

"Does anyone else feel like we just stepped into a lover's quarrel?" Jackson asked.

"Shut up Jackson!" They all said in unison, causing him to fold his arms in a huff.

"Derek I know you're angry about this but-" Scott started but Derek was in no mood.

"Shut up, all of you!" He roared. "Stiles, get the hell out of here and take Lydia with you. We're more than equipped to handle this."

"Gladly." Stiles shook his head and Lydia grabbed his arm as they walked away, without a glance back.

Jackson and Scott exchanged a look, they could smell Derek's fear, his panic, his pain. They knew that he was volatile because he knew this could be bad for Isaac. His anger wasn't real, it was just masking everything else but he couldn't hide it from them. You can't stop the pheromones from leaving your body when you feel something like fear.

That foreign smell just cemented his fear. This might not be something but someone, and if they know how to take down a werewolf there might not be much time left to help Isaac.

He's not healing properly and they all know it.

Derek let out a shiver-inducing roar and slammed a fist into the nearest tree. As an alpha, feeling like you're losing a member of your pack can tear you apart and now he's gone and pushed Stiles away.

He didn't mean it, he didn't blame Stiles; he blamed himself for leaving. _His_ pack, _his_ responsibility. It didn't matter if he couldn't stop it from happening. He was the alpha and this was a part of his curse. The pack's pain was his to bear, and right at that moment, he was in agony.

Scott sat in the hospital that evening with Isaac. Derek stayed out in the forest for a long time trying to figure out what he could smell. Scott knew he probably wouldn't sleep tonight trying to find a cure for this, whatever it was.

He knew he couldn't do anything. All he could do is be there in case Isaac woke up. He took his hand and the veins in his arm turned slowly black as he tried to absorb some of Isaac's pain. He didn't know if it was going to do any good, but all he could do was try.

Derek had his reasons for bearing the blame but Scott felt like it was more his fault than any. He knew the truth as to why Isaac was alone last night. He sighed as he thought back to that moment.

_He knocked on the door of Isaac's room. He hadn't really spoken to him since… well since the last time he had been in his room. He had barely finished his second tap before Isaac opened the door and the two stood face to face in silence._

_"Hey." Isaac said softly._

_"Hi…" Scott said._

_Isaac pushed the door open and Scott walked inside, hands deep in his pocket and staring at his feet. He shut the door behind him and leant against the wall, knowing perfectly well why this was so stupidly awkward._

_"Uh… look, I think you know why I'm here…" Scott said._

_"Yeah… just, I mean I think you should just forget about it. I was pretty drunk." Isaac smiled weakly and Scott nodded a little._

_"Really?" he said._

_"Well yeah."_

_"Is that all?"_

_Isaac knew how hard it would be to lie to Scott, not only was he a werewolf but he was one of his closest friends. Not to mention the way he felt about him._

_Isaac sighed and threw his head back. "I don't want this to be weird Scott."_

_"Why would it be weird?"_

_"Because it's not like I can hide it! Can you honestly tell me that you don't know what I'm thinking about right now?" Isaac said and Scott blushed a little._

_Isaac's scent was adrenaline mixed with arousal, and Scott couldn't pretend that he didn't smell it because they both knew the truth. He was just hoping that Isaac wouldn't realise that he wasn't the only one._

_Scott hadn't been able to stop thinking about it since it happened and it was driving him crazy. He was in love with Allison but he had never thought about Isaac like that before, he never had a reason to, but now there was a reason and it was staring at him from across the room with hunger in its eyes._

_Isaac could smell it now too and he bit down on his lip as he tried to push it to the back of his mind._

_"I guess I can't." He said with a rasp in his voice that made Isaac swallow hard._

_He took a few steps forward and Scott closed his eyes trying to think of anything else. Why had he even come here?_

_"Isaac…" Scott started but Isaac's eyes were glowing in an iridescent golden colour and his chest was rising heavily as he tilted his head to the side, only a few feet away._

_Scott shook his head but with a flick of his tongue to wet his parched lips Isaac lurched forward and took Scott's head in his hands, slamming their lips together and propelling them both backward into the dresser._

_Scott took a deep breath in through his nose and opened his mouth to let Isaac's tongue slip inside and tangle with his in a hot wet mess that sent shockwaves through his body. Isaac rested his hands on the handle which snapped under the pressure and Scott took hold of his shirt just above his stomach and forced him back into the bedside table, knocking off the lamp and most probably damaging the counter but neither of them cared much as they toppled back onto the bed. Isaac rolled them over so that he was lying over Scott, their tongues dancing an intrepid dance that had Scott holding Isaac firmly into him._

_He could feel their bodies hardening and Isaac let himself give in and ground his hips down a little. Scott felt his claws begin to extend as he flattened his palms against Isaac's taught chest, accidentally grazing his side and drawing a little blood._

_Healing instantly Isaac pulled his lips away from their torrid embrace and nipped at his neck. Scott heard himself emit a ragged breath and suddenly remembered where he was._

_He shoved Isaac off of him and wiped his mouth as he stood back against the wall._

_"Isaac I can't _do this_!" He said._

_"Why not?" Isaac asked, panting lightly as he sat on the edge of his bed._

_"This isn't… I don't want this, okay?" He said._

_Isaac nodded. "Who are you trying to convince there Scott?"_

_"Don't take it like that Isaac! It happens; sometimes people don't want the same things!"_

_"So what the hell are you doing then?" He yelled._

_"I'm telling you the truth."_

_Isaac nodded again. "Keep telling yourself that Scott." He stood up and punched the dresser once before heading for the door._

_"Where are you going?"_

_"For a walk. Just… just let me sort myself out, okay?" He said sharply._

_Scott sighed and Isaac left the room and then the apartment, and then headed into the danger of the woods that none of them saw coming._

Scott took his hand tightly in his and rested his head on the hospital bed as he listened to the sound of Isaac's beating heart.

"I'm sorry Isaac." He murmured.

He tried not to think about how this room smelt like the rest of the hospital, how it smelt like the end.


	16. Chapter 16

It was late afternoon of the next day that Deaton returned to the clinic. Erica and Boyd had been staking it out all night and cornered him before he even made it to the door.

"You need to come with us, now." Erica said menacingly.

"I do?" He asked.

"Yeah, now." Erica said again.

"I think your sentence is missing the words 'will you please' and is very much without an explanation. If there's one thing I've learnt in my years working with werewolves it's don't go jumping into their problems without knowing what you're up against. I assume something has gone wrong?"

Erica just kind of stared at him and Boyd rolled his eyes. "It's Isaac. He's in the hospital and we don't know if he's healing. We think he's been poisoned."

"What's wrong with him?"

"If we knew that we wouldn't be here with you, would we?" Erica snapped and Boyd rolled his eyes again.

"Scott found him in the woods passed out."

"Was he attacked?" Deaton asked with a crinkle in his brow.

The two looked at one another, not really knowing the answer.

"We… I mean we don't think so, there was no blood and he's not healing himself so if he had been I'm sure we would have seen the scars." Boyd said.

Deaton nodded, thinking.

"They think it's an infection." Erica said again.

"He went straight into a coma."

"Can you take me to him?" Deaton asked.

Both of them nodded and they were out as soon as possible.

Derek had been at the hospital for most of the day, desperately trying to think it through. They had scoured the forest for something that could have done this and found nothing.

Something didn't sit right but there was no evidence of what had happened. Scott stayed along with him, and Jackson showed up later with Lydia and Allison in tow.

Allison looked quite pale, clearly she has spent too much time sitting by hospital beds. Derek could smell the feeling in the air that this wouldn't end well but he refused to think that another person would die on his watch.

Deaton was on his way and as much as he tried to ignore the thought that he was their last hope, it kept creeping its way back in.

Derek knows a lot about what he is and his history but the things he doesn't know numbered a lot more.

Stiles arrived not long after the others. He and Derek exchanged hostile glances before he settled next to Lydia on the opposite side of the room.

"Deaton's on his way." She whispered.

Derek and Scott were whispering to one another and clearly Jackson was listening in too.

"You ever find it rude when they do that?" Stiles muttered to Lydia and Derek's face darkened.

"I honestly don't care. It's not like I understand any of it anyway." She shrugged.

Suddenly Derek stood and pulled back the curtain as Erica, Boyd and Deaton walked down the ward towards them.

He pulled the curtain all the way back around to shroud them from view.

"You don't think he's healing?" Deaton asked immediately, walking over to Isaac's side.

"He shouldn't have been out this long. If he was healing properly he wouldn't be here." Derek stated, watching as Deaton pulled his own stethoscope out of his bag and held it against Isaac's chest.

They were all staring very intently at him as he pressed his fingers into Isaac's chest and ribs, and then to his stomach. He felt around the glands of his neck and leant in close to listen to his breathing.

Derek was absolutely itching to bark his questions at Deaton but he kept a lid on his control.

"Have they taken any blood samples?" He asked.

"Yeah, before they put in his IV." Scott said.

"And they've established it as an infection?" Deaton asked as he rummaged through his bag.

"I think they've seen a few cases recently, yeah." Scott answered.

Deaton pulled out a small knife in a sheath and took Isaac's unwired arm in his hand. Derek had his wrist in his hand in an instant.

"You do anything to him you run it by me first." He said, eyes glowing.

Deaton put up an apologetic hand. "Forgive me Derek; I'm merely trying to test his healing. You know I would do nothing to intentionally hurt him."

Derek looked him up and down and let go, giving him a begrudgingly approving nod.

Deaton took Isaac's arm in his hand and pressed the blade against it. He pulled it back slowly, spilling a little blood in the process. He dabbed at it with some tissue from his bag and pulled away to observe.

Almost everyone in the room held their breath as they watched the tiny cut slowly draw back to a little speck.

"What is that? Is that good?" Stiles asked.

"Well, he's healing, but slowly." Deaton said. "My guess is that he's having… well; call it an allergic reaction I suppose. His body has shut itself down so that he can fight it but he is healing and that's a good sign."

"Do you have any idea what did this?" Derek asked.

Deaton sighed. "I'll have to look at his blood work and look him over more carefully but right now I can only tell you that he is healing. Hopefully he'll be conscious within the next few days." The group let out a collective sigh and Deaton put the blood soaked tissue in a zip lock bag and deposited it carefully in his case. "I'll keep checking up on him every few hours, just to be sure. I don't recognise this so I'll have to do some tests but I promise you I will find out exactly what happened here."

Derek gave him a nod and mouthed a silent 'yep' before giving an exhausted sigh and offering to walk out with him. Deaton gave him a smile and the two of them headed out of the ward silently to avoid prying ears of the werewolves in the room.

Scott sat down beside Isaac's bed and put his hand on his arm, dropping his head with the relief that Deaton had given them. Boyd put his hand on his shoulder.

Allison started brushing back Isaac's hair as a comfort and Erica gave Jackson a smile.

The news that he would pull through had caused tensions to drop almost immediately. The pack was feeling whole again. An hour ago they had thought Isaac was as good as dead and now they were confident that he would pull through.

"I'm going to try and catch Deaton." Stiles said before pushing past Jackson and walking briskly down the corridor and out to the stairs.

He knew Derek was with him but he was hoping that they would be done by the time he found him. He ran down to the lobby just in time to see Deaton walking out the door alone.

"Dr Deaton!" He called.

He turned around and stopped when he saw Stiles loping towards him. "You know you probably shouldn't call me that here because this is a hospital and I'm just a vet." He smiled.

Stiles snorted. "Good one doc." He said. "Look I just wanted to see if you needed any help with things. I'm pretty good at searching through books or notes or whatever you've got really."

"I thought it would be you to come to me about this. You're welcome to help but I don't have anywhere to start yet."

"That is no problem, I will sift through all your files if I have to, I just need something else to think about." Stiles said.

"Something other than…?"

Stiles sighed. "I have alpha issues."

Deaton nodded, "yes well Derek isn't exactly in the best of moods right now, is he?"

"You seriously have no idea."

He laughed. "I've worked with Derek's family for a long time; trust me when I say the apple doesn't fall far from the Hale tree. Talia was a level headed woman but if her family was in danger you wouldn't want to be on her bad side."

Stiles nodded, forgetting that Deaton had a lot more history with the Beacon Hills werewolves than any of them really knew.

That afternoon Stiles went back to the clinic with Deaton who pulled out a few books full of information. After the initial shock at how much the seemingly simple vet actually knew, Stiles knuckled down and lost himself in the books. There were ingredients and procedures and werewolf anatomy drawings; basically it was like a supernatural treasure trove.

He spent most of the evening down there too while Deaton inspected Isaac's blood. He sent the occasional text to Scott who had stayed at the hospital waiting for some kind of change.

So far there was nothing to report.

"Hey, what about this?" Stiles said as Deaton walked into the back of the clinic.

"Are you still working Stiles? Your father is probably wondering where you are."

Stiles shook his head. "I sent him a text telling him about Isaac so he probably thinks I'm in the hospital visiting him."

Deaton sighed. "Well, I'm going to head home soon so you probably should too. What have you found?"

"This is supposedly poisonous to werewolves, I mean it says only when ingested but maybe someone could have used it on him." Stiles moved aside to let him see.

"Mistletoe." Deaton said.

"It seems kind of strange for a poison but it says-"

"I've seen what mistletoe can do and this is far from it. It's a terrible poison but it would never have put Isaac into a coma. No, I think you're on the right track but I'm beginning to think that this is someone's doing. I think this poison came from some kind of creature, not some kind of herb. It was in his bloodstream that means that it started there. No herbs that I've heard of would do that but if it was another supernatural being then there is no doubt that the poison would originate in the blood."

Stiles' brain hurt. This was going to take a lot more work than just one afternoon.

"The problem is trying to figure it out without any information." Deaton rubbed his head in frustration and Stiles began packing up to leave.

"Do you have any books on… other creatures?" Stiles asked a little nervously, werewolves were bad enough.

"Unfortunately, no. I've never really had to deal with anything else but I do know of a few that exist. I'll see if I can find anything if you want to lend a hand tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'll be here." Stiles said before standing up and stretching, his bones creaking.

Deaton clapped a hand on his shoulder and walked with him out to his jeep.

Stiles felt drained, exhausted. At least he could sleep tonight knowing that Isaac was getting better, slowly, but he was. Derek was a whole other story.

Stiles was still pissed at him for getting angry and placing all the blame on him. How could he blame him when clearly it wasn't his fault? It didn't matter anyway, you get one step closer to Derek and he takes three steps back.

He was glad to see his bed when he got home. He collapsed in a heap and sighed. Why couldn't they have a normal few months for once? As he lay in the sheets and sighed he heard a tapping on his window.

"Not interested Derek." He said without looking up.

Derek stood at the window trying to hide the guilt in his eyes. He hadn't meant to blame Stiles for it all, his emotions had been on a high that he couldn't control. A pack member was in trouble and he knew that it was his fault first and foremost.

He knocked again and Stiles just scoffed. "Seriously Derek, you can't just be an asshole one minute and then come over here with that broody smoulder and expect me to just forgive you."

"Can you let me in?" Derek asked, his voice muffled through the window.

"Fuck off." Stiles said.

Derek sighed and extended a claw on his index finger and unlocked the window. Usually if Stiles locks the window he just leaves because he knows that he probably just wants to be alone but not tonight. He had to explain himself and he knew it.

He pushed it up and climbed through.

"Seriously Derek, I am not in the mood for your shit." Stiles sat up shaking his head and turned away from him.

"Stiles-"

"No! I'm not going to let you make me take the blame for something that I couldn't have stopped. Do you just like making me feel like shit? Is that it?" Stiles stood up, still not looking at him.

"Stiles-" Derek tried again but was cut off.

"I'm serious Derek. You can't just shove me around and make me feel one thing and then hate me the next second. I mean come on, it's like… I mean I thought you might… argh! I'm not in the mood for your crap so just fuck off for once okay?"

"Stiles, I'm sorry."

"Oh, and another thing why do you always – what?" Stiles turned around to see Derek in all his vulnerability and let his mouth hang a little as he looked over at him.

"Being the alpha means I feel the pain of the pack even more than the others and when one of us is sick… when one of us is in the same situation as Isaac it can make us lose our rationality. I never should have taken it out on you. I'm sorry." Derek knew that it was him, and him alone that was responsible for what happened to Isaac.

He was the alpha, it was his pack. He needed to make sure he was there to protect his pack and Stiles wasn't to blame for turning off his phone. Derek actually liked that he had done something assertive for once.

Derek wasn't always an alpha, in fact once he had liked someone strong to oppose him and challenge him. He had forgotten what that was like until he met Stiles, until he had really gotten into this relationship. He reminded him of Paige a little in that way, she had never let him push her around and so often she would take control of the situation and oppose him. He liked that Stiles wasn't scared of him, he more than liked it in fact.

Stiles sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, you know what you shouldn't have, and I'm not just going to accept that apology and let you do whatever the hell you want to me. You might mean it now but wait until something else happens, you'll just do exactly the same thing."

Derek dropped his eyes and Stiles felt his stomach go queasy. He knew that Derek was trying but he still couldn't quite say exactly what he meant or what he felt. He knew how hard it was for him after everything he had been through but he had to do what was best for him this time.

"Face it Derek, you react before you have time to think it through sometimes."

"I know." He said softly.

"I can't keep standing here being your punching bag. You might be an alpha but you're not mine and I don't want you to be." Stiles sighed, looking over at Derek who was still not meeting his eyes.

"I know." He said again.

"Derek…" Stiles said with exhaustion laden in his voice.

As Derek looked up his eyes betrayed the fear inside him. He nodded to Stiles and sighed again, this time rougher than the last. Neither of them moved for a while, they just shuffled awkwardly about on their feet.

"Do you want me to leave?" Derek said.

Stiles licked his bottom lip and exhaled heavily, closing his eyes for a moment. "No."

Derek stepped forward slightly but Stiles remained in place, shoving his hands into his pockets. Derek's eyes dropped as he put his hand on Stiles' waist and pulled himself in, his other hand gently caressing his cheek.

"Stiles…" He whispered.

"Derek."

He leant in to peck his lips fleetingly before he closed his eyes tightly and began to pull away. Stiles removed his hands from his pockets and crushed himself into Derek's chest. He couldn't let him leave when he clearly needed to be with someone.

Isaac was going to be okay and after one sleepless, self-hating, guilt-ridden, agonising night alone he needed Stiles to just be there, and Stiles knew it. He could tell from the way he nuzzled into his neck that he was tired of being alone and that the pain of possibly losing Isaac had been eating away at him.

Of all the members in his pack he was closest to Isaac. Dealing with the loss of a pack member would be just another burden for him to bear. He had lost enough already.

"Come on." Stiles whispered, taking Derek's hand and leading him to the bed.

They took off their shoes and climbed under the covers where Derek rested his head on Stiles chest. His arm lay over his stomach and Stiles' fingers traced comforting circles on Derek's arm.

"You know… you know I didn't mean to snap at you." Derek mumbled.

"I know. I just don't know if it would be different if Deaton had given Isaac another diagnosis." Stiles said.

Derek closed his eyes and listened to the slow steady beat of Stiles' heart, unwavering.

"I can't make you understand it." Derek said.

"I know." Stiles said and Derek felt his eyes sting at the coldness to his voice tonight.

He was hurt far worse than he was letting on, but he knew that Derek was holding onto even more so he held it in. Derek knew it and wished it could be different.

But it wasn't.

He propped himself up on his elbow and looked up at Stiles who brushed away the damp edge in his eyes and Derek pretended not to notice. He brushed his cheek with his thumb and wiped away what was left of a tear under his eye.

"I'm sorry I ruined the weekend for you." He murmured.

Stiles nodded before gently kissing his lips. His grip on Derek's arm tightened and when they released one another from their kiss they rolled onto the side and Stiles moulded his body into Derek's back, pulling the covers up around them.

Usually being pressed against Derek made him feel so secure and safe and he would fall asleep in an instant but his mind ticked over and over with his thoughts. After a long time he sighed and softly stroked Derek's hair as he kissed the back of his shoulder.

"You have got to be the most frustrating person I have ever met. I don't know what to do anymore Derek." He whispered, knowing that Derek was asleep. "You can't help reacting the way you do, I know that. I know that you just want me to be safe. You drive me crazy and make me angry and I just don't get how you can kiss me and make me forget about all of that in the moment. We are probably the worst pair you could imagine… but damn it if I don't love you Derek… _I love you_…" He barely breathed the last part, and with a sigh he rested his head firmly on the pillow and closed his eyes trying to find a way to turn off his mind.

And that was never easy.


	17. Chapter 17

_Stiles – _

Buzz.

Buzz.

_Buzz, buzz, buzz._

Oh for the love of god… "Derek…" I mumbled drowsily.

"What?" He groaned.

"Phone." I said, rolling over with my back to him.

"I can hear it." He said as he threw back the covers and sat on the end of the bed to stretch before fumbling about in his jacket on the floor. He grunted. "It's Scott."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Not necessarily." He said as he pressed the call button and put the phone to his ear.

"What time is it?" I asked, still way too tired to be up and thinking.

Though I did tell Deaton I would help him look for a cause again today. Great, just great. We don't know what the poison is or what could have done this – we have nothing to go on and nowhere to start.

This was going to be a long day.

"What have you got?" Derek said into the phone.

He rolled his eyes and pulled a super-sour face before letting out another irritated grunt.

"I'm on my way." He hung up the phone and put it in the pocket of his jeans.

"Is it Isaac? Did he wake up?" I asked hopefully.

Derek shook his head. "Peter is down at the hospital."

"Well that would just piss anyone off." I rolled my eyes and looked at the clock beside my bed. "Shit, is it really ten?"

"I'll see you later." He leant down and kissed my forehead and headed to the window.

He climbed out without another word.

"Later." I said quietly.

Oh god, why do I have to bring things up with him? You try and talk to the guy and he shuts up, you say nothing and he wonders why you're so quiet. I can't win.

I got up slowly and found a shirt to wear that didn't smell like BO or other bodily secretions, it took a while. As I wandered downstairs I noticed that my dad was already at work, surprise, surprise. He really needs to take a vacation.

There wasn't any food in my house so I settled for something on the way to the clinic. As I sat in my car chowing down on a burger I pulled out my phone to give Scott a call. I held I to my ear with my shoulder and took another bite.

"Hey Stiles, what's up?" He answered on the fourth ring.

"Hey, I was just wondering if you figured out why Peter was chilling out at the hospital. Don't most people think he's dead or something?"

"Yeah… I don't know, my mom got the shock of her life, and I have no idea what went down because Derek kind of stared me down until I left. He seems pretty tense still, is everything okay with you two?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, he's just being Derek. I mean it's a pack thing right? You people keep telling me about the pack bond and the pull of the moon like you think I'm going to understand it."

He chuckled a little. "Yeah, I guess it's hard to explain."

"A little bit. How's Isaac?"

"His vitals are up a little but I don't really understand any of that medical jargon anyway."

"Well, I guess you're staying there overnight again?"

"If he doesn't wake up, yeah."

"That's pretty good of you Scott."

"Hey, I'd do the same for you."

"Okay, don't get all mushy on me. I have to go, I told Deaton I'd give him a hand today."

"Did you find out anything about what could have done it?" He asked, his interest peaking.

"Not really, Deaton thinks it's some kind of creature maybe. Whatever it was it must have been pretty nasty to take down a werewolf." I shrugged.

"Mm, anyway, I'll text you if anything changes here."

"Cool, see you." I hung up and drove down to the clinic for another day of research.

Deaton's door was already open and he was dealing with a patient out the back so I hung about in the waiting room. I sat down in one of the chairs and got some real weird looks from some woman's dog. I think it could smell Derek on me.

It was only about five minutes before Deaton came back out, waving goodbye to a cat. Oh the life of a vet.

"Oh Stiles, just come on through to my office." He said.

I hopped up and followed him out the back and into a cramped office with a whole lot of books and files.

"You've got a lot of crap in here huh?" I said.

He chuckled a little. "You could say that. I have some books and there is a list of websites that you might find helpful by the computer."

"This is a pretty ancient computer doc."

"Yes well, I'm sure I use it for far less than you do. I'll be in when I can; I have a patient to see."

"I love how you call them that, makes them sound like tiny little people." I grinned.

He raised his eyebrow and shook his head. "I won't be long, if you find something try not to get distracted by something else."

"Good call." I said as he left the room with a smile and I took a seat behind the desk.

I figured I should probably check out the websites first, if Deaton recommends them then maybe I'm about to get a shock. How many supernatural creatures could there be in this world?

Turns out, a lot. I mean, most of the ones on these pages aren't confirmed but they are distinguished from one another. I guess some of the pages on supernatural beings are real, you just have to know what you're looking for. Actually this on only has rough drawings and vague descriptions. My brain does seriously not like this cryptic stuff.

"Sorry that took so long, I wasn't expecting – never mind." Deaton said as he closed the office door behind him.

"Patient-doctor confidentiality?" I smirked and he shook his head again.

"You know you have a sharper tongue than your father ever did."

I shrugged. "Yeah, he's not one for sarcasm. Anyway do you want to help me figure out this stuff? If this is what you people actually know then what the hell use are you? I mean look at all of this half-finished stuff!" I sat back in the chair and he looked over my shoulder.

"Well they don't particularly like being in the spotlight you know."

"Oh no, they just kill a few dozen people every year and expect no one to notice." I huffed.

"Yes, well there is that." He rubbed his head with his fingers and sighed. "I've been thinking about this and I'm sure we've been going about this the wrong way."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Rather than looking for something that is poisonous to werewolves we should be looking for the effects and the symptoms, if he's healing then clearly he has some kind of immunity to it." He looked pretty frustrated by it all.

I would too if I was the guy trying to look out for our little pack of misfits.

"We don't even know what the symptoms are completely." I grunted. "Do we have to wait until he wakes up and tells us what the hell did this?"

He sighed. "Yes, I think so."

Great. That's just freaking fantastic.

Derek made his way down to the hospital as fast as he could. If there was one person he didn't want anywhere near Isaac it was Peter. He had more than enough to do with his pack troubles in the past and this was not going to end up as a repeat of what happened with Lydia.

Not that she was a part of his pack, not officially anyway. Still, anyone close enough to keep their secret may as well be a part of it.

Derek parked his Camaro roughly by the side of the road and stormed into the hospital. Melissa McCall tried in vain to get him to stop and slow down, following him all the way up to the ward.

"Derek I mean it you have to calm down or they're going to get security-" She stopped mid-sentence when Derek drew back the curtain to see Peter standing by Isaac's bed and Scott standing in between them protectively. "_You_…" She whispered, knowing full well the story of Peter.

"Melissa, it's been a while. You look absolutely striking by the way." He crooned.

"Shut up! Don't talk to her!" Scott growled, his eyes glowing.

Peter just pulled a face at him and Melissa gave Scott a loving smile. "It's okay Scott."

"Leave, now." Derek said to Scott who scoffed.

"No, I am not leaving him until-"

"Do you really think I'm going to let him touch him? I said leave." Derek growled.

The pair stared one another down until Scott sighed and turned to walk away with his mother who immediately bombarded him with questions about Peter and Derek and what the hell just happened. Derek turned to set his sights on Peter.

"Now, if you'll just let me explain-" Peter put up an index finger and showed Derek his palms but Derek cut him off savagely.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip out your throat right now." He said.

"I'm your only surviving family?"

"And whose fault is that?" Derek growled.

"Well I think that both of us have a role to play in-"

"Why are you here?" Derek's nostrils flared dangerously and Peter sighed.

"I only wanted to see how he was doing. After all we may have a killer on our hands." He said in a way that made Derek trust him even less, if that were possible.

"Why do you care?"

"Derek, this is your _pack_ we're talking about. If anyone knows how important that is it's me. I used to be an alpha once you know." He said, staring thoughtfully down at Isaac.

"You never had a pack." Derek said and Peter felt a cool anger wash over him for a moment before he shook it off and turned to face his nephew.

"Well isn't that all the more reason for me to want to help?" He said.

Derek pondered that thought but he wasn't going to be manipulated so easily. "I'll ask you one more time. Why are you here?"

"Actually I was hoping to see you. How are things Derek?" He just raised an eyebrow and Peter smiled a little. "How is Stiles, have you told him about Paige yet?"

"You have about five seconds to leave before I make you a permanent resident of the morgue."

"I can see that's a touchy subject for you Derek, I'm sorry." His apology lacked any conviction whatsoever.

"Do you know what did this to him?" Derek asked, resigned to the fact that Peter wasn't going to leave until he wanted to.

Peter turned back to Isaac and tilted his head. He knew the symptoms and the signs and even knew what to look for to figure out who or what had done this but he simply shrugged. He had ideas but he wasn't prepared to voice any, not yet anyway.

"Unfortunately I don't. Maybe you should ask the emissary." He smiled.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Stiles is with him now."

Peter gave a dramatic nod and smiled haughtily. "I see you've found another use for him other than… well, other than being a trigger. Tell me, how long do you think it will be before you break his little human heart and leave? It can only be a matter of time before he tells you how he feels." Derek gave himself away at that.

He turned away from him and gave a heaving sigh that made his uncle chuckle to himself a little.

"Oh, I see, he already has, hasn't he?"

The words echoed painfully in Derek's ears as the vivid memory drew him back to the moment when Stiles had thought him to be asleep and voiced what he knew he would one day feel. _I love you_. He had said the words and Derek dreaded the day that he said them again lest he be awake and have to find a way to respond, because what could he say?

"Tell me Derek, to what did you say in return? I can't imagine you mirrored his sentiment. Why don't you just accept the fact that this is doomed to fail?" Derek said nothing. "Maybe this…"He pointed to Isaac. "… is what you should think about before you go jumping into something that is far beyond your depth. You can barely handle a human boy so what makes you think you can take care of your pack? You weren't even here when it happened." He let out something that could almost have been a growl and Derek stepped forward until they were almost nose to nose.

"I want you out of here, now." His eyes shone red and Peter held his gaze for a moment before admitting defeat and surrendering.

"Fine… but you will come to regret your decision to stay with him when someone ends up dead." With those harsh words he swiftly left the ward and he was gone.

Sometimes he could almost be forgiven for someone who cares about the pack and its alpha but Derek knew that most of that was for his own benefit, whatever that was.

Sometimes he liked to think that he cared about him. It was possible that he was only looking out for the two of them seeing as they were the only family that one another had. Derek didn't know about that. He hoped, but that was all it was.

He sighed and sat beside Isaac, hoping to god that he would wake up soon.

It wasn't until the next morning that Stiles woke up to the sound of his phone ringing incessantly.

"Get it." Derek said as he stretched out.

"God, why?" Stiles said, rolling over.

Derek just gave him a kick and he fell flat onto the floor.

"Fuck! Asshole." He said as he picked up the phone from the bedside table. "Scott do you even-" he stopped and just sort of nodded to himself. He clapped his hand over the phone microphone. "He's awake; Isaac's awake."

Nothing else needed to be said for Derek to be up and dragging Stiles down to the jeep and all but throwing him in. Stiles may have driven a little over the limit to get there but he didn't see any flashing lights so he didn't slow down.

They practically tore through the hospital wings getting some annoyed looks from the nurses but by the look on Derek's face he didn't care one little bit. They ran to E ward and Derek ripped back the curtain to see Isaac smiling lazily in his bed.

"Hey Derek," he croaked as he sat himself up more.

"How are you? Who did this?" Derek said, sitting on the side of the bed and looking him over, no doubt smelling the air to see if that dark cloud was gone.

He seemed to relax a little so Stiles thought that must be a good sign.

"Hey, one question at a time, I kind of have no idea what day it is or what time it is and thinking isn't helping right now. Scott is confusing me even more." He shot a big grin over to Scott who smiled a little awkwardly.

"He doesn't really remember much from that night, or that weekend even." Scott said, swallowing hard. He doesn't remember that night… at all, and Scott doesn't know whether that's a good or bad thing.

"It is coming back though, slowly. Melissa says I should be out of here this afternoon if I keep getting better the way I am."

"Can't you remember anything? Nothing at all?" Derek pushed.

"Derek, it's okay, when I remember something you will be the first one I tell okay?"

"Derek, just let him rest for the morning at least." Scott said defensively.

That one earned him a dark glare and Stiles put his hand on Derek's shoulder. "We're all glad you're okay Isaac." He said.

Isaac gave him a smile and sighed. "Well apparently I've been asleep for days but I really think I need to sleep."

"We'll get out of here." Stiles said and Derek looked up as if to say 'excuse you' but Stiles laughed a little. "We don't have to go further than the cafeteria. Just give him some time to sleep."

"He's had time." Derek said.

The other three all sighed and knew that Derek wasn't going to let him out of his sight for a long time.

Over the rest of the day the rest of the pack came and went and even Lydia let her relief slip out of her casual exterior. Derek didn't leave the hospital until Isaac was cleared to leave. He was a little weak but improving very rapidly, the doctors were a little dumbfounded as to how quickly he was regaining his strength and wanted to keep him to study him but Derek was not about to let that happen.

"Get into the jeep."

"Look, I really don't mind if we walk for a bit, I've-"

"Last time you went for a walk you almost died. Get in the jeep." Derek said.

"You know what Isaac; I think you should just get in the jeep." Stiles said with a smile.

"Yeah Isaac, get in the jeep." Scot grinned and gave Stiles a nudge, both of them over the moon to have Isaac back on his feet.

"Are the two of you making fun of me?" He asked.

"Us? No, we're not really the joking types." Stiles said.

"It's only been a few days and we don't know if there are going to be any more side effects from this so until he can remember what did this he's going to do what I say." Isaac snorted a little and Derek looked back at him. "Even after he remembers he's still going to do what I say." He narrowed his eyes at him and Isaac conceded by climbing into the back of the jeep.

"I guess the alpha knows best." Scott said as Derek climbed into the passenger seat.

He stopped and turned around, pulling an arrogant half smile. "Don't you forget it."

Scott could have fallen to the floor laughing but instead he just smiled and waited for the three of them to get going before he grabbed his bike and headed to the loft.

The rest of the pack did the same thing that evening despite Derek's protests. He even let them stay for a while before pulling the alpha card again and forcing them all out. Scott wouldn't leave but Derek wasn't his alpha. Reluctantly Derek let him stay, along with Stiles who had noticed Derek acting slightly awkward around him since the day before.

Obviously it had something to do with Peter but he wasn't going to push it because god knows, if Derek didn't want to talk he was _not_ going to talk. Instead he was waiting for him to come to bed so that they could… celebrate the fact that Isaac was okay. That's what he would call it anyway.

Scott decided that he would sleep in the spare bed at the end of the upstairs hall. Derek had forced Isaac into bed basically as soon as he even looked like he might be tired but Isaac didn't particularly care, he hoped a good night's sleep would bring back his memory. He couldn't remember anything from the day it happened or after, though some details from the morning were coming back, they were just blurry.

He took that to be a good sign.

He couldn't get himself to sleep though, he just lay in bed trying desperately to remember anything that could help them find out what had happened. At about eleven, after a violent ear assault from Derek's room caused him to wish he were deaf, he heard a soft knocking on his door.

"Scott?" He said, he could already smell him.

He opened the door and shut it behind him. "Hey, how you feeling?"

"Well, I'm seriously considering my real estate considering these walls are as good as paper thin. I know you can hear me Derek and yes, I heard you too." He grumbled with a smile. "Otherwise… to answer your unspoken question, no, I don't remember anything yet."

"What is the last thing you remember?"

"I… I don't know, waking up that day I guess? I don't remember who or what did this okay so everybody should probably just stop asking. What happened, did I try to kill someone or something? Is that it?" He chuckled and Scott just looked away. "I didn't did I?"

"No, no you didn't but uh… well, we just kind of had a fight is all. I thought you might remember." Scott said, shaking his head.

"Oh… well, I can honestly say I'm sorry if I was a dick and I didn't mean anything I said." He grinned.

"You don't even know what it was about."

"No, but I would never want to stay mad at you so just forget it all. I have." His grin got even cheekier and Scott found it impossible not to laugh.

"Here I am trying to have a serious talk with you and you're making jokes, nice."

They laughed together before Derek's voice rang out. "Go to sleep Isaac!"

"I think you're going to be stuck under curfew for a long time." Scott said.

"Shut up, maybe you should join me so I don't get so lonely all by myself." Scott's laugh came out quite strangled and he coughed to try and hide it.

"I better go before he breaks in here and throws me out the window. Promise me you'll try to remember what happened that night? To you I mean, in the woods." He said.

"Uh, yeah, sure Scott. I will." Scott left him for the night, feeling a little confused about his weird behaviour but trying to go over that night in his head without any luck.

His memory was very slow at recovering itself. It was three days before he could even remember the majority of the day. Everyone had slowed down the search for the problem because Isaac was already back to himself but he was determined to figure it out and make sure it wouldn't happen again.

It was almost six days after leaving the hospital that things began to get a little clearer. It was still blurry but now he knew something more, something they couldn't have guessed.

He walked out into the kitchen that morning and leant against the pillar as Derek ate his breakfast alone and cleared his throat.

"Derek, I think I remember something…" Derek looked up with a stony face, listening intently for the next lot of words to come out of his mouth. "I think someone attacked me. I think I can make them out and we are not going to be able to figure this out unless I talk to Deaton. Derek, this thing wasn't human."

In an instant Derek had grabbed his coat and they were heading off to see their most trusted vet to get some well-deserved answers.


	18. Chapter 18

"Tell me what you remember Isaac." Deaton said calmly as they sat opposite one another in the back of the clinic.

Derek leant against the bench and stared down intently, clearly waiting to tear someone apart for what they did.

"Okay, I was just walking like I usually do. I've walked that path hundreds of times and then I kind of caught this scent. It was strange but I thought I'd smelt it before so… I guess I followed it-"

"Why would you do that?" Derek said, frustrated.

"Calm down Derek, just let him reel through it and then you can yell all you want." Deaton said and Isaac dropped his jaw and scoffed a little.

"Uh… hey!"

"Fine, go on." Derek said.

"That's not fair."

"Isaac, start talking, now." Derek replied.

Isaac let out a sigh and shuffled in his seat. "Well as I walked through the trees I saw someone. That's where it gets kind of fuzzy. I can't remember them totally, it's really hard to remember it all but they were… well, I don't know I guess I was in some kind of trance because I know I could smell something in the air – and it wasn't good – but I kept going and the next thing I knew I was right in front them. I, I couldn't … I don't know I just couldn't leave even though I knew something was wrong.

"Then, um, well… I can't see it clearly but it looked sort of… feline." He said.

"Feline?" Deaton repeated.

"Well, it's head was… look I don't know how to describe it but it was-"

"No, no… that's good. I think we may have come across something like that in our books." Deaton stood up and rushed out of the room, calling back to the two of them. "I saw something that might match your description and had similar symptoms and we put it in one of our files… we knew we couldn't completely figure this out until you woke up, and then again until your memory returned… here." He came back with a photocopy and handed it to Isaac. "What do you think of this?"

Derek walked over and peered at the piece of paper with a rough sketch and very few words.

"Bastet?" He raised his eyebrows and Isaac stared hard at the picture.

"Not exactly…" Deaton said.

"Said to be born from the son of Bastet and the daughter of Lilith this overlooked but dangerous creature bears the head of a feline and the body of a woman. She preys on young men, absorbing their youth and vibrancy through no more than a drop of blood, usually obtained from the lips. It says something here about a kiss of death, what is Bastet?" Isaac asked once he had finished reading the verse.

"If I know my ancient myths then I believe she was the daughter of Ra, the sun god, and protected the people… perhaps why the Egyptians worshiped cats like they did. And Lilith, of course, is said to be the first wife of Adam but refused to submit to him and set out to create a downfall upon men." Deaton said.

"So the children of these two figures created… this?" Derek pointed to the picture.

"So it says, but I wouldn't be going about believing in these myths so heavily. A lot of the time these stories are ones passed down through the generations and somewhere along the line humans have taken them on and changed them. I have no doubt that this could be what you saw."

"What exactly is it?" Derek asked.

Deaton took the page and read it some more before he answered. "It doesn't have a name for it here but the indicators seem very similar. When the kiss of death is performed the prey will be short of his breath and slip into a sleep that lasts for five days while his vitality is acquired by the she-devil…"

"I don't think the fact that it calls her a devil is a good sign Deaton." Isaac said, swallowing hard.

"No, I don't suppose it is."

"So what are we supposed to do about it?" Derek said impatiently.

"And how did I survive if she gave me the kiss of death?"

"Stop, stop, you both ask such demanding questions." He stopped for a moment and looked intently at Isaac. "Would you step over here for a moment?"

Isaac looked at Derek who nodded before he stood up and walked over a little nervously. "What is it?" He asked.

"Would you pull down your bottom lip, I just need to see something." Isaac looked slightly freaked but reached up and tentatively pulled it down for Deaton to see.

There, inside his lip were two distinct puncture marks that hadn't quite healed, in fact they had almost scarred over.

"Yes, this is starting to look more and more like the cause of your sickness Isaac." He said.

"But it doesn't fit the description, not completely anyway." Isaac said.

"Like I said before, these stories aren't always completely right. I think we are on the right track with this and the best way to find this… _creature_… is to head out on the full moon when she will be looking for her next kill."

"And how are we supposed to stop her when she lures men in and fogs their vision? How are we supposed to do anything when what we know means nothing?" Derek growled.

"You leave it up to me to find out more about this thing. Right now you need to try and remember as much as you can about her so that you can figure out who she is. She's like you remember, she is most probably a shape shifter. Focus on that and I'll find out as much as I can before the next full moon." Deaton said.

"And when is that?" Isaac asked, looking from one to the other and Derek rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Four days." He said.

"Great. Just great."

"Are you telling me that you got attacked by a cat?"

"Jackson! Wait, did you?"

"Lydia, he didn't get attacked by a cat, just a girl who looks like a cat."

"Would all of you please shut the hell up?!" Derek growled.

Jackson, Lydia and Erica all turned to look at him as he paced the room like an animal.

"Look, this doesn't make much sense but if we don't do something it's just going to keep hurting people like it did to Isaac." Scott said.

"So we've got four days to figure out what to do about this. Maybe we can trap it somehow. Does it have healing powers like you guys?" Stiles asked.

"We don't know." Derek said, still pacing.

"Well, what are its weak points?" Boyd said.

"We don't know." Isaac sighed.

"So how do we get near it without going gaga?" Jackson said.

Derek just gave him a look and he nodded.

"Got it, you don't know."

"We're waiting for Deaton to find out more." Isaac said.

"Well that's not exactly helpful." Erica scoffed and folded her arms.

Derek shot her a nasty look and she rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Well you said it was men who were affected by this… this thing… maybe the three of us won't be affected." Allison said as she looked from Lydia to Erica. "I have a rather large array of arrows and other weapons in my garage." She said.

"I don't think I've shot a crossbow or a gun once in my life. I mean it, not even a water gun." Lydia said.

"That'd be the day; we're stronger than they are _and_ Lydia's operating heavy artillery. I cannot wait to see this." Erica sneered.

"No one is doing anything yet. The full moon could be dangerous for us and no matter what she is, she's supernatural and that means that she'll be stronger on the full moon as well." Derek said.

"So we have no plan? Like, nothing at all?" Stiles asked?

"We wait for Deaton to tell us what he knows. Then we figure out how to go about this." Derek replied and they all began to look worried.

They were a little out of their depth here.

It was two days later that Deaton finally called Derek up with some news. They lost half the time they had until the full moon and had nothing useful to go on. Luckily, Deaton had some information that could change that.

Derek headed down to the clinic with just Isaac and Scott by his side, the others were trying to find a way to take weapons from Allison's place without her father finding out and violently murdering all of them.

He ushered them into the back and shut the door behind him. The three of them looked very stoical as they waited for Deaton to start telling them what he knew. He gave them a strange look before sighing loudly.

"What do you need to know?" He asked.

"What do you have to tell?" Derek replied.

"Can we just go through what we know?" Isaac said.

Deaton nodded. "Fine, she is cat like with a woman's body in her metamorphosis, she will grow fangs that are coated in a strong poison, she uses her allure as a weapon before she delivers the kiss of death. One thing I have found is that without her allure it is very difficult for her to plant the kiss and absorb what she needs, and before you make some kind of sarcastic comment I have some good news. I think I can make a draught to counter its effects for a short period of time."

Derek looked more than hopeful. "Will it work?"

"If I make it right, yes. But it won't make things simple, she is fast and cunning and she'll be good in close quarter combat. She'll also be elusive."

"Are we definite about what she is?" Scott asked. "I mean, you're sure that this is what it is?"

Isaac looked over at him and nodded. "The more he says the more I seem to remember and if it's not then we can try and get a better idea of what this thing actually is when we get out there."

"But how do we know it'll be in the forest?" Scott said, again with doubt.

"Creatures of habit I believe. Why is it that you are attracted to the trees and the wilderness when you're troubled, or angry?" He looked particularly at Isaac at that last one.

The three of them exchanged looks and Scott seemed reasonably satisfied.

"When will you have the draught ready?" Derek asked.

"By tomorrow, afternoon probably." Deaton replied.

"That gives us, what, one day to get ready?" Isaac said.

"I didn't say I had all the answers, but I'll be here all night if that makes you feel better. If you manage to subdue her I suggest bringing her in."

"I had a different plan." Derek said flatly.

"You can't just kill her Derek, she might not know what she's doing; remember what the kanima was like?" Scott said.

"We might not have time for your moral high ground Scott."

"Can we just calm down please? How do we subdue her?" Isaac said, looking back to Deaton who was searching for different vials hidden in cabinets and drawers.

He stopped and looked over at them. "She does have healing powers, but not nearly to the extent that you do. If you can overpower her I'm sure you could knock her out and chain her up, I don't think she can exist in her metamorphosis unless she's conscious. This is only what I have been able to find out though, there may be variations."

"In other words, half of this could be completely made up." Derek said.

"You don't have to be so cynical Derek!" Scott said.

Derek growled a little and Isaac stepped between them. "Really? You're doing this now?"

"I know that it's not much to go on but I am mostly certain that this _is_ what we're dealing with, and it's better than having nothing so I think you should work out a plan and stick to it. Then I would suggest retiring for a few good nights of sleep." Deaton said.

None of them were happy with it but he was right. This was all they had and they weren't going to make this a missed opportunity.

Stiles felt exhausted that night. He knew that there was only twenty-four hours before they were probably going to face the prospect of certain death. Scott had come over to explain things to him while Derek talked to the rest of the pack. Isaac had opted to talk to Lydia and Allison.

So they had some plans… well, Stiles liked to think that what they had were ambitions and the plans would just kind of fall into place. Hopefully they would anyway.

He had been trying to call Derek all evening but he was being evasive. It's not like he was surprised, that's just what Derek does. He was starting to get worried because he'd been acting strange for a week now.

Well, if there's one thing Stiles has never done it's give up on anything so he left his dad a note and got in his jeep to head for Derek's.

He yawned as he pulled out of the driveway and headed off, all he really wanted was to see him. Tomorrow night would be dangerous for all of them and he just wanted to maybe bury his head in the sand for the night and pretend that he wasn't dating a werewolf – or whatever it was that they were doing, it still remained undefined – and that they weren't facing yet another crazy supernatural killing machine.

He parked his jeep by the Camaro and pressed the buzzer for the lift. Seriously, where was Derek's sense of security? As the doors opened he walked in to Isaac doing chin ups on one of the many beams across the roof and Derek was not in sight.

"Do you just constantly work out or something?" Stiles said.

Isaac laughed and let go, landing perfectly on his feet. "No, but it's not like I can afford to be out of shape."

Stiles scoffed. "Seriously, you? Out of shape? There is a better chance of me growing a second head."

"Please don't say that, it's hard enough to get one of you to shut up." He smiled.

"Okay, _Derek_." Stiles mocked. "Speaking of, where is he?"

Isaac pointed to the second floor. "In the shower."

"Perfect, thanks." Stiles said as he headed up the spiral staircase to find the king of the Sour wolves.

He heard the water running and slowly opened the bathroom door. He peered inside to see Derek running his hands through his hair through the steamy glass. He didn't even realise that he had been staring for a while until Derek spoke up.

"You know I could smell you when you got to the top of the stairs don't you?"

Stiles smiled and shut the door behind him. "Yeah, I figured." He looked him up and down and slowly forced his shoes off.

"I can also feel your eyes burning holes into my ass." He said.

Stiles smiled, unbuckling his belt and trying to remove his shirt at the same time. Derek turned around and rolled his eyes playfully as Stiles awkwardly removed his clothes and pulled open the door of the shower.

Derek jumped at him, pinning him to the cold shower wall and giving him a hot, wet kiss. Stiles let out a contented groan.

"You haven't done that in a while." He purred, his hands slipping down to cup Derek's ass and hold him tightly into him.

"No?" Derek asked as he mouthed his neck, sucking gently.

"Nope." Stiles said, closing his eyes.

Derek's hands roamed Stiles' chest, memorising the feel of his body and relishing the chance to be so close to him. His lips were slowly getting lower until he was able to snake out his tongue to flick over his nipple.

"Hmm… Derek?" Stiles said, taking Derek's head in his hands and pulling him up to face him.

Derek just looked at him, his head tilting and eyes searching.

"Derek…" He said with a sigh.

"Stiles." Derek said with a warning in his voice.

Stiles shook his head and smiled, caressing his cheek with his thumb. "What are you so scared of?" he breathed.

Derek just stared down at him. He was thoughtful; his eyes were still searching Stiles' face. He reached up and with his fingertips he brushed back the short fringe that was now plastered to Stiles' forehead. He kissed him softly on the lips. When he pulled back Stiles' lips were parted and his eyes were still closed.

"Turn around." He said.

Stiles scoffed. "Derek, I'm not just going to turn over and let you-" Derek held up the bar of soap and shook his head. "Oh." Stiles chuckled a little.

"You think so little of me Stiles."

"Oh I can promise you that little is most definitely the last thing that I think about when I think of you." This time it was Derek's turn to chuckle.

"Turn around." He growled, nipping at his ear lobes.

"Hey, hey! Make sure you get behind the ears." He teased.

"Shut up Stiles." Derek said, smile glued to his face.

The afternoon of the full moon came along fast, faster than any of them had hoped and they were all gathered at the clinic where Deaton was finishing off the cocktail that would hopefully give them an advantage. Stiles had picked up Allison on their way over and was terrified every second as they loaded crossbows and arrows and a whole other assortment of things into the back.

They were the last two to get there and Allison took Erica and Lydia out to see what they had collected.

"So… how do you uh… well, do you drink this stuff or what?" Stiles asked.

Deaton poured the dark coloured liquid into a large glass and the entire pack seemed to repel at the sight of it. He sighed. "Unfortunately, yes, you do, and I suggest you do it soon. There's less than two hours until the moon rises."

"I'll take it first." Derek said.

"How noble." Deaton smiled, handing him the glass.

Derek took it and held it under his nose before putting it to his lips and taking a healthy gulp. He swallowed and tried to keep a straight face but ended up coughing for a moment and shuddered.

"I take it that means it's no java juice then?" Jackson said, looking over with disgust.

"It's not… no it's terrible." He said, handing it to Scott.

They each took turns at getting it down; Boyd made a dent in Deaton's table after ingesting the foul stuff and Stiles just gagged for a while after. The girls came back in to chuckle at their squeamish faces before going back to the seriousness of their task.

"There's a lot of area to cover and we need to make sure that we don't miss this. Who knows what could happen if we let her keep going, we don't even know how many people she's gotten to before Isaac." Derek said as they all stood around the table. "We'll head out when the moon is up but make sure you don't let yourself lose it."

Half of them looked at him and Jackson rolled his eyes, annoyed. "For god's sake it's been like three full moons since I've turned, can you all just lay off?"

"He'll be fine, he's strong enough now to be able to control himself." Derek said.

"So what's the plan?" Boyd asked.

"Find her, knock her out, chain her up and bring her back here." Erica said.

"I think it's a little more complicated than that." Lydia said with a roll of her eyes.

Derek just thought on it for a second. "Nope, that's pretty much it. I'm not opposed to killing her if that makes things easier."

"We're not going to kill her." Scott said.

The two looked firmly back at one another and almost began growling before Stiles cut in.

"Hey, calm down guys. Let's try not to kill her, okay?"

"How are we going to cover all that ground?" Allison asked.

"I think we need to split up into groups, that way we can cover the ground and no one has to be alone." Isaac offered.

"Well how are we going to split?" Erica said.

"Well I can go with Lydia and Scott-" Isaac started.

"Oh no, you can come with me." Derek said.

He had meant it when he said he wasn't going to let him out of his sight. There was no way this was going to happen to him again.

Isaac shook his head but didn't argue.

"I think it would be best if you two stayed behind." Derek looked over at Stiles and Lydia who both rolled their eyes.

"You can't just sideline us because we're human, besides, I already drank that disgusting stuff, I'm ready. I can protect myself, and Lydia if she needed it. By the way she totally doesn't." He added after copping a solid glare from her.

"I'm not a damsel in distress. Allison's been showing me how to use one of her crossbow type things and I have a _very_ sharp eye." She said.

"Not as sharp as a werewolf babe." Jackson sniggered a little.

"Maybe not but we don't even know if this potion is going to work so as I see it I could be more useful than you on this little outing." She smiled sweetly and Jackson narrowed his eyes but knew she was right.

"She has a point. Don't sit us out on this one Derek." Stiles pleaded.

"Lydia, you'll come with Isaac and me. We'll start around my old house. Boyd and Scott will go with Allison further south and Jackson, you, Erica and Stiles will take the west."

Erica and Jackson both let out audible moans and Stiles found himself being quite offended at that. "Hey, I'm not totally useless you guys."

"We'll see." Erica snipped.

"Enough bickering. Make sure you have something extra to go with you. Allison, Lydia and Stiles, you carry the best weapon you have, leave the others to their senses and if you find anything you call me. Immediately." Derek said, clearly not messing around one bit.

They reluctantly agreed and Lydia looked like she might be sick but they separated to make sure they knew what their roles were.

"Just stand behind us and try not to get sucked in." Erica said to Stiles.

"Just stay out of our way, I mean you're just a human, what can you actually do?" Jackson said, the two of them exchanging smiles.

"What is this, the sarcasm group? Hey Derek! Am I really stuck with these two bozos?" He called.

Derek looked up from talking to Lydia and Isaac and over to them. He rolled his eyes. It probably wasn't the best grouping but they were going to have to deal with it.

"Isaac, take Lydia out to get a weapon from the truck, I think Allison's out there now." He said before they dispersed and he walked over to take Stiles away from the other two.

"Seriously Derek, the three of us together will just not work." He said. "Switch me with Lydia, I can come with you and Isaac. Should I be offended that you feel the need to keep an eye on him but not me? You put me with dumb and dumber over there." The two of them sent nasty glares his way but he was sure that would happen for the rest of the night.

"Stiles! Calm down or I will make sure that Deaton keeps you here while the rest of us go out."

"You can't sideline me and not Lydia, I'm not the only weakling human here, and Allison is human. I mean she can shoot like no one's watching but still, she's human-"

"Stiles, I mean it." Derek said.

He put a hand on his shoulder and looked down into his eyes. He needed Stiles to be serious here.

Stiles sighed. "I know Derek." He nodded.

"Be careful."

"I will! I just can't be bothered spending the night with the two of them. One is bad enough but both? _Why_?" He whined and Derek just smiled.

"Quit bitching and go sort out a strategy before I chain you up."

"Sounds kinky."

"_Stiles_!" Derek hissed and looked around to see if any of them heard.

Stiles stole a quick kiss before walking back over to Jackson and Erica to formulate their plan of attack.

Whoever he was paired with, this was going to be a long night.


	19. Chapter 19

The moon seemed to rise before they had even realised it. As they headed outside it was already mostly dark and Stiles was starting to feel a little apprehensive. It didn't help that he had to trust Scott with his jeep because he was going with Jackson in the Porsche. He thought it was a stupid idea to bring that car to the forest but he didn't bother explaining that.

They all gave each other silent parting glances before getting into their cars and heading their separate ways. Erica and Jackson were bickering over the radio station which Stiles thought was completely insane but he shut himself up in the back seat.

Apparently the rules of shotgun don't apply to werewolves.

Lydia was questioning Derek thoroughly about his relationship with Stiles, much to Isaac's amusement. She was just trying to hide the fact that she was practically terrified. Derek and Isaac both smelt it on her and did their best to just try and calm her down… which meant that Derek ended up answering some questions that he really would rather not have.

Boyd was feeling a little like the man in the middle between the awkwardness of Scott and Allison. He thought he was the awkward one but he was seeing things with a whole new light.

"Uh… you know, if the two of you need to talk about anything I can seriously get out and run." He said when they were a few miles away.

"We're okay, thanks Boyd." Allison smiled at him and exhaled heavily.

"Hey, it's okay, we can do this. We can all do this." Scott said.

"You don't always have to be the protector you know." She said softly.

He looked over at her for a second. "I know."

Boyd was starting to wish he had been paired with anyone else, even Erica.

Jackson parked the Porsche at the edge of the forest and all three of them jumped out, Stiles carrying a crossbow in one hand.

"Bet you think you look like a real badass holding that thing don't you?" Erica sneered.

Stiles huffed a bit and Jackson gave a little chuckle. "Okay, here's the thing. I know the two of you are all sarcasm and looking pretty but you know what? This is pretty fucking serious right here so maybe you can pull your overstuffed heads out of your perfectly bleached assholes and start focussing on this!" He said.

Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead and Jackson looked over at Erica who tilted her head at Stiles.

"You think we're not focussed? Really? Stiles, we're making jokes and fooling around because we're just as scared as you are, and don't try to say that you're not because you stank out the whole car on the way over here." She said.

"It's true dude, you stink."

"You're not so flash yourself." Erica said.

Stiles smiled a little, they have the same coping techniques, make jokes and shrug it off. Maybe this wouldn't be _so_ disastrous.

"So can we go through this again?" Jackson asked impatiently.

"Erica pulls up behind, you're in front and I'm stuck in the middle with this." Stiles held up the crossbow and the others flinched away.

"Be careful with that thing!" Erica hissed.

"Oh come on I'm not an idiot." Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Both of you just come on." Jackson said as they headed into the trees.

"I honestly don't even know why I'm here." Lydia said nervously as they started trekking through the dirt and the leaves.

She stood with Derek and Isaac on either side, her eyes darting every which way.

"Lydia, you need to be here because this potion might not even work and she won't go after you, it's not her nature." Derek said.

"Somehow that is of no comfort to me." She said quietly.

"Would it make you feel better if I sad you were here to look good?" Isaac said with a grin.

She turned to face him sharply. "It most _certainly_ would not."

"You're the smartest one here Lydia. If something goes wrong I'm sure you'll have an answer." Derek said, never taking his eyes off the outline of the trees.

Lydia smiled a little smugly. "That does make me feel better."

"Can we try to lower our voices now? We'll never find this thing if we're out here screaming and shouting." Derek grumbled.

"I'm starting to see why Stiles calls you a sour wolf." Isaac said.

"He does? You know what, I can definitely see that." Lydia said, looking over at Derek.

Somehow he thought that he might have been less annoyed with these two by his side but he was beginning to find out that his pack was full of annoying teenagers. He rolled his eyes and kept going without a word.

"So uh, what did you tell your dad?" Scott asked Allison as they walked in a triangle formation through the forest.

"I told him we were going camping. Stiles told me that's what he had said to his dad so I thought I would keep it the same story. Why, what did you tell your mom?" She asked, never looking at him.

"That it was a full moon and we would probably be out in the woods all night."

"How well did that go down?"

"Better than you would expect but she wasn't overly impressed."

"Hey guys?" Boyd said and they looked over to him. "Are we doing any real tracking or just having a chat?"

"Relax Boyd, I'm sure you guys will hear it or smell it if it gets anywhere near us." Allison said. "So… what did you say about being out here?"

He shrugged. "Nothing, it doesn't really matter."

"Why not?" Scott asked, stepping over a fallen log.

"If you ever have the pleasure of meeting my dad, you'll know." He said and neither of them decided to press him any further.

"Did you hear that?" Scott said, extending his arm out over Allison's chest to stop her from moving.

"What?" Boyd hissed.

They all remained silent and even Allison heard the cracking of twigs on the forest floor.

"Okay I definitely heard that one." She whispered.

Boyd lifted her bow with a finger and she held it firm, loading an arrow ready to fire if necessary. Scott and Boyd led the way towards the noise slowly and trying not to make any more. Allison's gaze was strong and she was ready to let the arrow go into this thing.

Scott lifted his nose to the air for a moment before he sighed. "False alarm."

"Are you sure?" Allison said.

"Yeah," Boyd pointed to a deer foraging in the distance and the three of them let out a collective breath.

"Well that was terrifying." Allison dropped her bow and swallowed hard.

"You said it." Boyd replied.

It had been three and a half hours since the moon had risen in the sky and so far none of them had seen anything more than some regular Californian wildlife. Erica was beginning to get tired of searching.

"All I'm saying is that there has been no sign of anything out of the ordinary, or a call from Derek, so why are we still out here?" She said in a whisper.

"Because we have a job to do." Jackson growled. "Do you really want this thing out here attacking people like it is?"

"No but clearly there is nothing _here_." She murmured.

"You know you are such a sissy werewolf." Stiles groaned.

She narrowed her eyes at him and they kept walking in a silent formation. Stiles really wondered why he was stuck with these two but he knew that Derek would never have put them together if it was going to end up being a danger.

They had started to get heavy with their feet, tired and Stiles was feeling hungry again. He checked his phone for any sign that Derek or one of the others had found the creature, but there was nothing.

This was starting to seem like a failed mission.

They were coming into a fresh patch of forest when Jackson stopped suddenly and lifted his nose to the air.

"Do you smell that?" He said to Erica who copied his actions.

"Yeah, actually I do."

"What is it?" Stiles said, holding tightly onto the crossbow.

"I don't know." Jackson said.

"I've never smelt anything like it before." Erica said, trying to focus her hearing.

As Jackson did the same Stiles held himself impossibly still. For a few second they were all like statues in the trees until Jackson and Erica both darted their heads to the left.

Stiles hadn't heard anything but he looked in that direction too. Jackson motioned silently for them to head that way so they slowly stepped over rocks and fallen branches in search of the sound.

Stiles knew his heart was pounding but he had no idea that Erica and Jackson's were doing the same. The further they walked the better it got, they seemed to relax and Stiles could even hear the sound of a trickling stream.

He walked beside Erica and they veered to the left as Jackson took the right. They made sure to stay within view of one another, never straying more than ten metres apart.

Jackson stopped in his tracks and tilted his head slightly as he breathed in that scent. As Stiles looked over at him, it happened.

She dropped silently from the trees above and crashed into Jackson, pinning his back to the ground and hissing in his face as she crouched above him.

"Hey!" Erica screeched as her face began contorting into its werewolf mask.

The creature looked up and hissed at her and Stiles could finally see it properly as she stood up, ready for a fight.

She had long black hair that framed her cat-like face and pointed ears. As she opened her mouth to let out another hiss her long protruding fangs gleamed with saliva, her pupils dilated into slits. Her bare feet and flexed fingers bore long, sharp claws capable of tearing through flesh. She had a long black tail extending from behind her and swaying menacingly from side to side. Her body was bathed in a skin tight black material and was every bit as alluring as her pheromones would have been.

The potion was working; Stiles didn't feel a pull to her the way Isaac had. Jackson would have been the same had he not been unconscious on the ground behind her.

"I'll distract her… you check on Jackson." Erica whispered, exchanging a terrified glance with Stiles.

He nodded, the shaking arrow in the crossbow trained on the creature as Erica let out a bellowing roar and lunged forward. She tackled the creature to the ground and they went tumbling over backward, its feet kicking Erica out and into a tree. She clambered up and growled running for her again and the two became locked in a tousle of limbs and claws.

Stiles made his move and ran to Jackson, dropping the weapon by his side and slapping his face.

"Come on, _come on_, Jackson… Jackson wake up!" He screamed into his face and Jackson began to stir but it wasn't fast enough.

Erica laid a punch into the creature's face and it recoiled fast, hissing and spitting in her direction before turning its head to Stiles and Jackson.

"Oh shit…" Stiles said.

She lurched forward but Erica caught her and threw her back down to the ground and bared her teeth, warding her off the members of her pack. Without warning the creature's tail whipped around and knocked Erica off her feet, dragging her back as she stood and grabbed her tightly.

Erica screamed as the creature held her throat, her claws piercing the skin and blood dripping down her neck.

"No! Erica!" Stiles stood up and ran toward them.

"Don't Stiles…" She choked before the creature slashed at her side and sunk its fangs into the soft flesh of her neck causing her to cry out in pain and keel over.

The creature held her up as it snarled at Stiles, and Erica's face soon became a human again and her breathing got faster. It let her fall to the ground with a thud and Stiles shook his head as it bared its fangs.

"Not tonight bitch." He muttered before pulling the Taser from his shirt pocket and pulling the trigger.

The creature let out a shrill cry as it shuddered and fell to the ground. Its body convulsed and Stiles held the trigger until there was no more charge. It was still shuddering when he threw the shock gun he had stolen from his father to the ground and dropped to his knees.

"Erica? _Erica_!" He yelled, taking her head in his hands.

She was seizing and her mouth was foaming, tears streamed down her face. All he could do was hold her still until her body relaxed. He rolled her onto her back and stared down at her, eyes closed and barely breathing. He leant in and listened to her chest to hear her heart beating erratically.

"Erica I need you to wake up okay? Erica!" He pleaded. "Oh shit, oh shit…" His shaking hand covered his mouth and he looked over to see Jackson groggily twitching his hands.

Erica stirred and looked up at him. "Stiles?" She said weakly.

"We have to get you out of here, she won't be out for long." He said, pulling her arm over his shoulder and standing them both up.

He looked over to the creature, it's chest rising and falling, in a sleep that wouldn't last.

"Jackson…" She mumbled.

"We'll get Jackson, we'll get him…. _Jackson_!" He yelled.

He was slowly pushing himself to his feet as he looked up, head spinning and his dizziness slowly disappearing. "What… What?" He said.

"Call Derek now, we need to get Erica away from here. That thing could wake up at any second and she can't fight back." He said as Erica went nearly limp over his shoulder.

"Take her, I'll chain her up and call him." Jackson said, looking to the backpack he had left on the ground and then over to where the creature was.

To where she had been.

"Uh, Stiles?" He said, swallowing hard and looking around.

"Oh shit!" Stiles cussed. "I'll take Erica, you get Derek." He said again.

"And just what will you do if it finds you?" Jackson hissed, looking around frantically now.

"I'll find the stream and we'll go through there, get rid of the scent." He said, not very sure of the plan but he knew he would never be able to lead Derek back to this place and someone had to stay with Erica.

"Are you sure?" Jackson said.

"I have no hope of finding him from here and I can't leave her. I'll get her someplace safe and come back."

"Take this." Jackson threw him the crossbow that he had dropped before and Stiles held it along with trying to keep Erica standing. "You'll be fine." He said before taking his phone from his pocket and running into woods that were less dense to make it easier for Derek to find them.

"Come on Erica, I need you to walk with me." Stiles said, his forehead sweating profusely and legs threatening to give way as they hobbled through the trees. "I know you're not totally conscious but I would really appreciate it if you could tell me if you smell that thing again. You know, for the sake of both our lives." He puffed.

He followed the sound of the stream and Erica limped beside him until they found the running water. It wasn't very deep or very fast but Stiles know that it would probably be harder than it looked. They managed a few steps before Erica's foot slipped and she dragged him down, the both of them being swept a few metres downstream before Stiles could grab the bank.

"Stiles… Stiles don't let go." Erica whimpered as her limp body threatened to flow down the creek and away to where she couldn't protect herself.

"Okay, I've got you." Stiles said as he tightened his grip on her arm and pulled her over to the other side of the stream.

He panted as he looked around and spotted a rock overhang with a gap under it that could shelter her until they could get her out. His weak human strength just couldn't hold her up for much longer.

Suddenly over the trickling water and rustling leaves he heard a bellowing roar, a distinctly werewolf roar.

"Jackson…" Erica mumbled.

"What? That was Jackson?" Stiles said, starting to panic.

"Calling… calling the… pack." She whispered, trailing off as her eyes started to shut.

"No, no Erica not yet! Okay not yet, we have to get you up here." He dragged her back up onto the bank and towards the sanctuary of the overhang.

As they got to flat land her body began to seize again and he held her on her side and tried to hold her head still. She gagged and coughed and cried until the painful, body shaking seizure was done and Stiles dragged her under the rock hanging and into almost total darkness.

"_Stiles_…" She breathed in barely a whisper.

"I need you to stay here Erica, I need you to wait until I can come back and get you." He said softly, pushing her hair out of her pleading eyes.

"Don't… don't leave…" She choked, spluttering with her words.

"Erica I have to… here, my phone has GPS… I'm going to give this to you so that we can track you down again when it's safe." He said, taking his phone out of his pocket and praying that the GPS will still work after being dunked in the river.

She squeezed his hand gently, probably with all the strength she could muster. "Thank you…" She said through her terrified tears.

He felt her head loll to the side and knew that she had finally passed out.

He sighed, his body aching as he slid himself out from under her. "I promise I'll be back." He said before climbing out of the hiding place and running back down to the stream.

He stared back upstream to where they had come from and knew that if that thing was anywhere it would be there. He knew what Derek would say. Derek would have said 'stay with Erica and we'll find you when we're done'. He would have very strongly insisted that he sit this one out and for good reasons.

Stiles shook his head. "Sorry Derek, not tonight." He said to himself as he waded into the water and carefully began to walk back upstream, masking his scent in the creek.

Derek was growing tired of searching. He figured that the creature was either not out in the forest for the full moon or it had seen them and was clever enough to avoid their trails. He could see that Lydia was well past her prime focus time and she was just as scared as she had been when they began.

Isaac was as alert as ever, his nose seeking out every unfamiliar smell to try and find her. He felt like it was up to him to find it seeing as he is the only one to have actually dealt with it before, whether he remembers it clearly or not.

Without warning they stopped in their tracks as a bone-chilling howl tore through the quiet air. Derek's stomach dropped when he realised whose howl it was, it was Jackson's and he knew it.

"What the hell was that?" Lydia said, her eyes terrified.

Isaac looked over at him as he ground his teeth and tried to think of a plan that didn't involve him tearing the trees from their roots to get to them.

"Derek?" He said.

"It's Jackson." He said  
flatly.

"Jackson? Wait, is something wrong with him? Is he okay?" She said frantically, suddenly becoming afraid for more than just her own life.

"He's making the call." Isaac said. "They found her?" He asked.

"Isaac, get Lydia to the car, now."

"But Jackson-"

"You can't help him and I'm not going to watch you get hurt because you insist on coming along. Get her back to the cars and call Deaton, have him on alert." Derek said.

"I'm coming with you." Isaac said forcefully.

"You'll get her back to the car before you do _anything_." Derek growled, eyes red and blazing. "Go, now." He said in an inhuman growl.

Isaac nodded reluctantly and took Lydia's hand as they ran back the way they had come. Derek immediately ran through the trees in the direction of Jackson's call. Stiles was dominating his thoughts and he was regretting ever letting him come along on this mission. He regretted bringing all of the humans along but none more than him. He should never have put them in danger. He knew it wasn't safe but he agreed anyway. It was a bad call.

He ran as fast as his legs would let him and locked himself to Jackson's scent as he drew close. He could smell Stiles and Erica's faint scents from having walked through and then he smelt something else and his insides twisted up even more. They had found it, or it had found them… and he could smell blood.

His eyes trained on Jackson and he came to a stop in front of him. "Where are they? Where did it go?!" He demanded.

"Erica was injured, Stiles took her through the stream back there to hide their scent. She was hurt badly and he needed to get her somewhere safe. It was knocked out but it disappeared." He panted.

"We can't even track them?!" He growled.

"Hey, it's everyone or no one and right now you don't want that thing to find them or they might not make it through the night alive!" Jackson yelled.

"Take me to the stream." He said and Jackson nodded, the both of them not waiting for the others to find them as they raced to find the creature and their friends.

Stiles kept his eyes alert as he walked back towards the spot in the trees where it happened and where Derek and Jackson and the rest of the pack would no doubt be gathering now, or soon. Hopefully now.

The bottoms of his legs were soaking and the cold air was giving him chills, his clothes still wet from falling just before with Erica. He hoped to god, any god, that she would be okay and that they could find her again, she didn't look good when he left and she wasn't healing properly either. Even he knew that was a bad sign.

He waded further upstream and only just heard the rustling in the trees ahead. His heart hammered in his hollowed chest and he made the choice to call out.

"Jackson?" He said shakily.

There was no response and it didn't take a genius to figure out that it wasn't Bambi up in the trees. He stepped out of the river and onto the bank where he could see her, standing her ground and staring him down menacingly.

"What do you want, huh? Back for more?" He yelled, hoping that she couldn't smell fear.

It was then that he realised that he had lost the crossbow when he was grappling with Erica. It would have been a long way downstream by now. He gulped, the sweat again beginning to form on his forehead.

She walked towards him and he stood firm in his spot, knowing that running would be of no use to him. His eyebrows were narrowed as she strutted forward and stood before him, he wasn't going to let her get him easily.

When she was less than three feet from him he swung his fist in a punch that clobbered the side of her face and she drew back. She hadn't expected it but when he swung again her hand grabbed his left wrist and held it tightly, her claws brushing against the soft skin on the underside of his arm.

She held him still and as he looked up at her face he could see that she was almost studying him, like she didn't understand. And then he realised it.

"You don't know why it's not working do you?" He snickered.

She tilted her head to the side and eyed him carefully, her hand still wrapped firmly around his wrist. Stiles felt his heart beat start to rise as he remembered the spare arrows he had shoved in his pockets. With his right hand he ever so slowly checked if they were still there by pressing his palm against his leg. He felt his breathing quicken as he felt the long metal rods through the fabric and he knew he would have to distract her to get one out.

"I guess you're not the only one who knows about the supernatural." He said, slipping his fingers into his pocket without breaking this terrifying eye contact. "I know what you are, so why don't you show me _who_ you are?" Slowly he inched an arrow out and gripped tightly to the end. "Are you a coward?" He pulled his lips into a cold smile causing the creature to hiss. "Huh? Are you some kind of fraidy-cat?!"

As he growled the last words he plunged the arrow into her side and she wailed in agony. She bared her fangs and her eyes burned with hatred as she clamped down on his wrist and he yelped as he felt the bones break, her claws very nearly breaking the skin.

He bit down on his lip to stop himself from yelling out in pain. She wrenched the arrow from her stomach and he knew that he was over powered. He showed no weakness in his eyes as he prepared for her claws to slash at him like she had done with Erica.

In an instant, Stiles felt a heavy shudder and realised that it was Derek driving himself into her and propelling her away from him roughly. Her claws tried to latch on and he yelled as they dug into his sensitive flesh. Derek forced her hard into the ground and slashed her chest with a loud roar and she shrieked in pain.

Stiles watched as her tail crept up and wrapped around Derek's neck, tugging him to the ground and off of her. He coughed and sputtered as he stood but she was fast disappearing into the trees. Derek let out an almighty howl worthy of any alpha but she was gone, mist in the wind.

He huffed and turned to Stiles, roughly taking his arm at the elbow.

"Are you alright?" He said, looking down at his hand and then trying to search the rest of his body for more wounds.

"Yeah," he panted. "I'm okay, I think my wrist is broken… yep, no, it's definitely broken." He winced painfully as he tried to move it.

Blood was trickling down his hands from the gashes on his forearms and any movements of his wrist caused a sharp pain to throb and ache.

Derek kissed him, and hard. He had been so worried that something had happened when he had seen the two in a squabble from the distance but his heart beat was slowly returning to normal.

"She's gone, we followed her but even with our eyes she was impossible to see in the dark." Scott and Isaac came running into the clearing after having chased the creature down, Boyd and Jackson weren't far behind.

"She was headed west and back to town when we lost her." Boyd said. "Where's Erica?"

Derek sighed and turned to Stiles. His face darkened. "Stiles?"

Stiles was swaying from side to side, his face pale and his breathing shallow. "Derek…" He said huskily before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed in a heap on the damp forest floor.

"Stiles!" Derek yelled, racing the few feet towards him and crashing down onto his knees, scooping Stiles up and trying to wake him. "Come on Stiles!"

Scott ran to his side and looked down at his slack jaw and unresponsive body and knew something was terribly, deathly wrong. "Get to Lydia, get her to call Deaton!" He yelled back to anyone who would go.

Jackson was hot on his feet, running back through the woods to the cars where they could actually get a phone signal.

"Scott he needs a doctor not a vet! He's human!" Isaac said, staring down at him and turning almost as pale.

They all knew that Deaton could tell them more than a doctor but he was right. Stiles needed to be at the hospital – and fast.

Derek yelled again, shaking his face with his hand and panic riddling his body. "Stiles, Stiles _wake up_!"


	20. Chapter 20

Stiles crashed through the hospital doors in a gurney, an oxygen mask over his face as he came groggily to. His throat was tight and his left arm felt like it was on fire. He saw blurry faces passing over him. He lay on his back and tried to focus on something as his vision became clearer.

Derek and Scott walked with the doctors as they headed into a ward room after having diagnosed him with an infection from the scratch. They said that it was making his throat swell and stopping him from breathing properly. They put on the oxygen mask to see if it was enough but they were sending him to a private ward in case they needed to intubate.

Melissa McCall was with them and helped them lift Stiles off the gurney and onto the bed in the ward. They had cleaned up his wounds, flushing them out in case of more infection and stitching them up before setting his badly broken wrist. Derek almost tore down doors to get into the rooms with him and to find out what was happening. The sheriff was on his way but so far it was only the pack there with him.

All but one of them.

Allison and Lydia had stayed at the car when the others flocked to Jackson's howl. Their eyes were teary as they stood around his bed, still in shock. Derek held tightly to Stiles' good hand, his veins turning black as he tried to take away some of his pain.

The doctors left Melissa to finish up the exam while they tried to find a way to treat him.

"Stiles… Stiles I need you to nod if you can hear me." She said, pinching his shoulders.

He nodded and everyone in the room let out a collective sigh.

He pulled his hand away from Derek, who almost didn't let him, and pulled the mask away from his face.

"You need to keep that on Stiles." Melissa said, trying to pull it back on.

He shook his head and wheezed a few painful breaths. "…Erica…" He said.

"I know, we'll find her but we need you to-" Scott said before Stiles shook his head, his voice rasping.

"…Find… her… I promised… phone… GPS…" He said before he was almost completely out of breath.

Derek lifted the mask to his face and quietly shushed him, stroking the side of his face. "I'll get you a pen, you can write it down." He said softly.

He nodded and Derek looked up. For a second everyone just stared at him before Melissa got the hint and grabbed her clipboard, ripping off a corner of paper for him to use.

His hands were weak and his eyes were still blurry but he took the pen and began to write down everything that he couldn't say.

His writing was scrawled but they could still make it out.

_Over stream, she has my phone, track her down, promised I would go back._

Derek read the note and nodded. "We will find her." He said, hurting just as much that she was in pain and alone but overwhelmed with worry for Stiles.

"I'll go, I just need someone to show me how to track your phone." Boyd offered.

"I'll come with you." Jackson said.

"What about that thing? It's still out there remember." Isaac said.

"It's injured, maybe badly." Scott replied.

"Hopefully dead." Derek muttered.

They all shook their heads but didn't argue with that. She was far more dangerous than they had anticipated and now two of the pack members lives hung in the balance.

"… maybe… Erica…" Stiles wheezed.

They all looked at him and Derek sighed. "You don't know how to track the phone." He said.

"I might know how to track the signal." Lydia said. They all looked over at her and she shrugged. "What? I used to be lab partners with Danny."

"Go, now, but I don't want her going out there." Derek said.

"Trust me, she's not going anywhere." Jackson said, taking her hand protectively.

As they headed out of the room they almost collided with the sheriff. "Where is he, where's my son?!" he shoved past Boyd and into the room, pausing to look down at his frail teenage boy. "What the hell happened?!" He growled after a moment of shock.

Stiles let go of Derek's hand and he moved aside to let his father sit beside him. He pushed past Derek and grabbed his son's hand tightly. He was clearly distraught and Melissa walked over to his side and put her hand on his shoulder.

"It's going to be okay." She said without conviction.

"What the hell happened here? What did you do?" He snapped at Derek, releasing Stiles hand and brushing Melissa off to grab Derek by the shirt and slam him against the wall.

Derek didn't protest but the rest of the people in the room flinched and looked from one to another.

"Sheriff please!" Melissa said, trying to pull him back gently.

"… dad…" Stiles wheezed, the oxygen mask once again around his neck.

Derek didn't meet his eyes and the sheriff let him go with a rough glare to sit by his son again.

"… camping… got attacked…" He said and began coughing very hoarsely.

He tried to cough out 'not Derek's fault' but his face was turning red and his father forced the mask back on. He tried to say something else about Erica but his father hushed him, stroking his forehead and looking like he was about to crack.

"We were out camping and this… creature just sort of came at us." Scott lied.

"One of our other friends was attacked and Stiles managed to get her somewhere safe, but he was attacked too and now she's missing, Erica that is." Isaac said, much less of a lie than Scott's tale.

"And where were you during all this?" The sheriff turned to Derek who just looked away, willing to let him put the blame on him for what happened.

"He was concussed, I just cleared him so that he didn't have to stay the night… but I expect that he will anyway." Melissa said, knowing that this was more than just a camping trip gone wrong.

The sheriff looked suspicious but coming from Melissa he was more likely to believe their story. Scott gave his mom a grateful look and she just nodded with a smile.

"Sorry Derek." The sheriff grumbled, rubbing his eyes with his free hand and sighing as he stared down at Stiles struggling to breathe.

"Don't be. You can blame me, I do." He said, collapsing in the chair by the opposite wall.

"It's not your fault Derek." Allison said, knowing that it probably meant nothing coming from her but still, she tried.

He just nodded, staring blankly ahead.

"How about we go out into the hall so I can explain all of this to you?" Melissa said to the Sheriff lightly.

Stiles gave him a weak smile and he sighed, placing a kiss on his forehead before standing to go outside with her.

Scott puffed out and ran a hand through his hair. Isaac put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down but it wasn't working. Allison sat beside Stiles and tried to give him a smile to relax him but she didn't look hopeful. He smiled anyway, knowing that it would make her feel like she was helping. When he looked down at his arm he saw an IV sitting in the inside of his elbow, just above his casting.

His whole hand was on fire still and it was making him sweat but everything was getting fuzzy again.

"Let him sleep." Scott said, Allison just nodded and kissed Stiles' hand as she stood up and let him drift off to sleep.

The painkillers were working slowly and he had enough morphine in him to send him off quietly for the night. It was only a few minutes before he was out.

Derek sighed, his ears trained on the sound of Stiles' heartbeat, slow and steady.

"I told Deaton to come in the morning, I know it's urgent but we'll never get him past the sheriff. I mean how would we explain why my boss is here to see him?" Scott said.

"It'll be hard enough getting him in here tomorrow." Isaac said.

"He'll be out there looking for whoever or whatever did this in the morning. We'll have time or we'll make it." Derek said firmly from the other side of the room. "You should all go and get some sleep."

"I'm not leaving." Scott said.

"We don't want to go Derek; we're still waiting to hear about Erica." Isaac said.

"Then go and stay with Deaton and try and figure out what is going on here. That's where they'll take Erica when they find her." Derek said stiffly.

"_If_ they find her." Allison said softly, her worried eyes looking down at Stiles as he slept, his breath being exhaled in slow rasping pants.

They all let out a collective sigh and Isaac nodded a little. "We'll go and talk to Deaton. I'll text you if I hear anything. Come on Allison, no doubt your dad will have heard about this by now, or he will do soon."

"That won't be pretty for you guys if he has." She said but got up to go with him anyway.

Scott stayed behind. There was no way he was leaving his best friend now, not after everything they had been through.

The sheriff came back into the room once he had finished talking to Melissa. He sat by Stiles' bedside and stroked his hair and began to look very tired. A few times he was called by his deputies and probably some higher-ups. He told them he would start the investigation in the morning and he would not let them take him off the case. He was determined to find out what happened to his son.

He made Derek and Scott give him a statement, to which they both gave as little supernatural detail as they could while trying to be sincere. He almost didn't believe them when they said they thought there might have been a woman there orchestrating it. They left out the part where she was the creature that attacked them but said that it was very likely the same thing that had attacked Isaac two weeks ago.

He was determined to talk to Isaac but he would do that again in the morning. He had already talked to Isaac when he had woken up in hospital but now there was some new information and they would have to get a second statement. Scott felt sorry for the police in Beacon Hills, there were probably so many case files left open due to supernatural events. He was sure there was a file, or probably a whole box, labelled 'animal attacks'. The town was somewhat notorious.

He ended up managing a few hours of sleep between the early hours of the morning and dawn but not enough to get rid of the bags beneath his eyes and the weary look on his face.

He had always hated hospitals, ever since his wife had practically lived in one until her death he has never been able to stand them. Stiles lying in the bed with an oxygen mask was a reminder of that time and he was determined not to let his son befall the same fate as his wife. He needed to live a good, long life, and he wouldn't be able to deal with a life without his only son.

It would kill him too.

Melissa had been on the night shift and wasn't set to leave until midday. At around seven she came in with a large coffee and gently stirred the sheriff, who had fallen asleep laying with his arms and head on the side of the bed. She gave him a few pats on the back and he woke with a start, looking around almost hoping that this would have all been a dream and that he had just fallen asleep at his desk again.

The look on his face when he saw Stiles in the bed and then Melissa standing over him said it all. He grunted a little before rubbing his eyes and standing up, taking the coffee with a slight nod of his head. He sighed and looked over at the two chairs against the wall to see Scott and Derek fast asleep, heads lolling to the side and both gently snoring.

"Have they been here all night?" He said, stretching his neck out.

She nodded. "I tried to get them to go home but they refused. Derek won't leave him and Scott is so stubborn… I didn't think you'd mind."

"No, I don't mind. He should have someone here while I'm at work."

"Are you sure you're up to it?"

"I need to find out who did this to my son. If you see Isaac Lahey, would you tell him that I need to speak with him?"

She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Sure."

"They've been scouring the woods all night for their friend… Erica, they haven't found anything yet." He rubbed his eyes and sighed again. "I'm heading out there now."

"I think you'll find a few extra teenagers out there, especially now that the sun's up." She gave him another smile and he chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, I'll bet there is. Thanks for the coffee."

They exchanged parting glances before he kissed Stiles' forehead and headed out. Melissa walked over to Scott and smacked him on the arm. He woke suddenly with wide eyes and shook his head.

"Mom? What… what is it?" He said, looking over at Stiles to see him slowly stirring.

"His dad is going out to help in the search for Erica, the police have been out through the night."

He reached into his pocket for his phone but he had no messages or missed calls. "Have they found her?"

Melissa rolled her eyes. "What did I just say?"

"Right, sorry, is there any change?" He said, looking back at Stiles.

She shook her head. "He's still having trouble breathing but he seems stable. Really there's no change from last night."

"I think Deaton is coming down soon to check him out. Can you uh…"

"I'll put the charts through when he gets here and you should have an hour after that before they'll come in to check again."

Scott sighed. "Thanks mom."

She smiled. "I'm going to take a sample of his blood to test it in the labs. I know the other doctors already have but they won't tell you anything that they find out so I'll do it myself. Just call me when Deaton gets here so I can do the exam."

Scott nodded and Melissa hugged him tightly. Stiles' injured state had given her new motives to hug her son whenever he was within her grasp and Scott didn't care, right now he was happy to give his mother public displays of affection.

She headed off to check on the rest of her patients and Scott stretched out. It wasn't long before Stiles' heavy eyes had lifted and he blinked slowly awake.

"Hey buddy." Scott said.

Stiles let out a few hoarse breaths and Derek was awake in almost an instant. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before walking straight over to Stiles' bedside. Stiles pulled down the mask and smiled up at him before puckering his lips. Derek rolled his eyes and laid a soft kiss on his lips before pulling his mask back on and planting a kiss on his brow.

"… so… paranoid…" He wheezed.

"I'm going to call Isaac, I think he's coming back with Deaton soon." Scott said.

"… Erica…" Stiles said.

Scott shook his head. "I'll ask but… nothing yet."

"We'll find her." Derek whispered, his heart hurting for her.

He was missing something from his pack and it was tearing him apart not to be out there looking for her but it would just kill him to be away from Stiles while he was in pain. His hand rested on Stiles' chest, his veins turning slowly black as he siphoned away some of his discomfort.

Stiles shook his head at Derek but he refused to move his hand. Scott walked out into the hall with the phone to his ear as he rang Isaac.

On the third ring he picked up. "Hey Scott."

"Hey, are you with Deaton? Have you heard from the others?" Scott said quickly.

"Uh, yeah, I'm at the clinic with Deaton, we're waiting for you to give us the green light. Is the sheriff gone?"

"Yeah he just left, have you got Erica?"

He heard Isaac sigh through the receiver. "No, they followed the scent but couldn't find her and Lydia couldn't track Stiles' phone. The scent ended when that creature got in the way and the whole place reeks of it. Jackson said it was like they were lost out there. I think they've joined the police search."

"You should get over here in about an hour, my mom will make sure the doctors stay out of the way."

"I'll tell Deaton, I think Lydia is going to come with us. She hates just sitting around you know?"

"I know, trust me, I know. Send me a text when you're on your way."

"How are you doing Scott?" Isaac asked.

"Uh… I'm okay I guess, just worried." Scott said, shuffling his feet.

"You know I'm here if you need me right?" He said softly.

"Yeah, yeah I know." He said before they both hung up.

When he walked back into Stiles' room he was trying to take off the mask and Derek was insisting that he didn't.

"What's going on?" Scott asked.

"He doesn't know when to shut up." Derek said, smiling down at Stiles with a shake of his head.

"You know he won't stop until you let him." Scott said.

Derek sighed and let Stiles pull away the mask. "…map… draw… a map." He said.

Scott and Derek looked at one another. "I'll get some paper. Is that what you want? To show us where she is?"

Stiles nodded and Scott started searching the room for a pen and paper. When he finally found some he brought it over and Stiles began to draw the things he could remember. The rock overhang, he circled that, and the stream running towards the rocks. Then he wrote the words 'find the stream' and underlined them.

"We're trying Stiles but they say it's like going in blind out there."

"… try… harder…" Stiles said. "…promised…"

"We know, they'll try harder." Derek said.

Scott was about to protest but seeing the exhausted look on Stiles' face and how hard Derek was trying to keep him happy he decided against it. Instead, he took a picture of his diagram and sent it to Boyd and Jackson.

It wasn't too long before Isaac sent a message to Scott saying that they were on their way and Melissa dropped the charts into the nursing station, buying them some time. She had been checking on things herself and had some information for the boys. She waited for Deaton to arrive before she headed in.

He headed up to the room with Lydia and Isaac by his side. Lydia gave Scott a warm hug and kissed Stiles on the cheek, bringing some colour to his pale cheeks.

Derek stood up and moved aside for the first time that morning to let Deaton get a better look. He pulled out his stethoscope and gave Stiles a beaming smile.

"You look a little less chipper this morning Stiles." He joked, causing Stiles to chuckle painfully before starting a rough throaty cough.

Deaton listened to his chest as the heaving continued and Derek's worried eyes betrayed what he was feeling inside.

"Scott…" Melissa hissed.

He turned around and she motioned for him to follow. He tapped Isaac on the elbow and he followed him out into the hall with Melissa.

"What's going on mom?" He asked.

"I looked at his blood-work and I've seen it before, in three other patients… and Isaac too. All of them showing the same symptoms as Stiles." She said.

"Were they the same as him when they came in?" Isaac said, folding his arms.

She shook her head. "Comatose."

Deaton listened to Stiles' heart and lungs with a furrowed brow. He was beginning to show similar signs to Isaac when he had been attacked but he had advanced much faster. Stiles was still in the early stages.

"Was he bitten at all?" Deaton asked.

"Not that we know of." Derek said.

"He was scratched, all down his arm." Lydia said.

Stiles lifted his casted arm and smiled. Derek shook his head as Deaton inspected the tips of the stitched up wounds. He looked perplexed.

"Very strange… from what I heard all of this comes from her kiss of death. It's the fangs that hold the poison. Perhaps we're missing something." He scratched his forehead and Lydia exchanged a look with Derek.

If Deaton didn't know what was happening then they were in deeper water than they had thought.

"Wait, I don't get it, how can he be progressing slower than the rest of them?" Isaac said.

"I don't know, I have to find the outpatient files of the other victims before I can figure out how long the infection lasted. They're giving him the same antibiotics but it doesn't make sense." Melissa said.

"Maybe Deaton will figure something more out, you could tell him what you know." Scott said.

"I can try but I'll find out about the others first. Maybe the police talked to them when they woke up, they talked to you so they must have figured out that these cases are linked." She said, looking at Isaac.

"How can he be getting this slower? I got it at the same rate as the others right?" She nodded. "I'm a werewolf and he's a human, I assume the rest of the people were humans too. What are we missing here?"

"I don't know." She said.

"Unless…" Deaton said, even deeper in thought.

"What? We'll take anything you've got right about now." Derek said.

"No, I don't understand it."

Stiles swallowed hard, not getting the answers that he was hoping for. A lump formed in his gut as he worried about what could possibly happen.

"You'll need to let me get back to the clinic and make some calls. There has to be something more here, something I'm missing." Deaton said.

"Make it fast." Derek growled warningly and Lydia gulped.

"Derek I assure you, I will not leave you unanswered." He said sternly.

Derek responded with a nod and Deaton insisted on leaving right away. As he left the room Melissa called to him.

"Dr Deaton!" She said, pushing past Scott and Isaac to meet him.

"Mrs McCall, how are you?" He said.

"Peachy, can I talk to you? I think I have some information that could help you." She said.

"Of course, perhaps you could walk me to my car." She smiled and nodded as they headed off.

Derek looked even more dejected than before and Lydia was in the process of texting Jackson when Scott and Isaac came back into the room.

"I take it he had nothing new to say." Isaac said with a sigh.

"…I'm a… medical mystery." Stiles grinned and Derek shook his head, wishing that for once Stiles would be serious about something.

The day passed slowly, with nothing to be answered until the late hours of the afternoon when Scott's phone began to ring frantically.

"Hello?" He said.

"We've got her. We've got Erica." Boyd's voice rang out through the phone and the entire group let out a sigh.

They were being forced to bring her to the hospital because they had been found in the midst of all the police but according to Jackson she was still conscious, just very weak. A call to Deaton cleared up the reason. She was a woman, and women were far less susceptible to the kiss of death than men. Her werewolf healing powers didn't go astray either.

The poison from her fangs had caused her to seize, her body rejecting the poison and trying to expel it. The doctors seemed relieved to have another conscious patient with a similar infection. It gave them hope that their antibiotics would work.

Erica was taken to a room on the same floor as Stiles but across the ward. Derek even let himself part from Stiles for a few minutes to check on her, the knot in his stomach loosening a little at the return of one of his pack members.

In her drowsy, drugged state she continued to request to see Stiles but they wouldn't allow it, two people with the same infection were dangerous for one another. The doctors had no idea that this wasn't something they could make worse through their contact, just that it was transmitted through the blood.

It was late evening, when everything seemed to be looking better than it had done, that it all began to crumble.

The sheriff was in the hall talking to one of Stiles' doctors, Isaac was napping in one of the chairs, Derek was holding Stiles' hand and trying to take his pain away, and the others were across the ward visiting Erica.

Stiles felt his body pulsating with warmth from Derek's soothing touch but something was wrong. Each new breath felt more and more constricted, his pale face began to flush with pink.

Derek noticed that something was wrong and his eyes searched his face. "Stiles?" He muttered.

Stiles realised that he was barely sucking any air down, even with the oxygen mask over his face. He let go of Derek's hand and held it to his throat, wheezing loudly as he started to panic. He looked up at Derek with fear in his watery eyes and Derek turned to the door.

"Help! Can we get a doctor in here!" He yelled.

The sheriff and the doctor looked in through the window and both ran for the doors, barging in and causing Isaac to wake up.

"What's happening?" He said frantically.

Derek caressed Stiles' face, trying to calm him but he wouldn't. He tried to speak, tried to get the words out but he could barely breathe let alone talk. Derek shushed him, stroking his face and nodding to him.

"Stiles… Stiles… _Stiles_… shh… shh… I know, I know…" He said softly.

"I need an intubation tray in here now!" The doctor yelled out to the nurses.

"I know…" Derek whispered. "_I love you too_." He said before kissing his blue lips and tearing himself away to let the doctors take over.

Tears spilled down his cheeks before his body tensed and he started to seize violently. They doctors turned him on his side and the sheriff ran his hands through his already thinning hair as his own tears fell.

Derek's whole body shook and Isaac put a hand on his shoulder, both of their hearts pumping furiously. The other pack members had all raced to the door after hearing the shouting and Lydia was shaking her head with tears streaming down her rosy cheeks while Scott's face was like a wounded puppy as he watched his best friend stop seizing. The doctors tilted back his head to thrust a large tube down his throat and hook it up to a ventilator as he slipped into an unconscious state.

Derek was breathing heavily, his own eyes glassy as the doctor finished his work and turned to the sheriff who was hysterical.

"What's happening? What's happening to my son?!" He cried.

"He's lost consciousness, his throat was closing up so we've given him a tube to breathe through. He won't be able to breathe without it at this stage." He said.

"Can't you do something? There has to be something more!" The sheriff said.

"All we can do now is amp up his antibiotics and hope for the best. We can only see how he is in the morning. I'm sorry, but this is the only option at this stage." The doctor headed out to get some more medication for his IV and Lydia walked over to give the sheriff a well needed hug.

Derek sank into one of the chairs with his head in his hands and Isaac sat beside him, a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him. He had no such luck.

The sheriff fell asleep again that night in the same place as the night before. Derek, Scott and Isaac set up camp in the chairs opposite him, Derek never once leaving his vigilant post. The rest of them had found space in the waiting room downstairs or in Erica's room.

Under the chair handles Scott's fingers found Isaac's and they gripped together tightly. They both needed someone to consolidate with, and found that they were calmer with the other's touch.

It was nearing midnight and Scott was asleep, hand still held in Isaac's, and Isaac was almost drifting off. Derek was still staring hard at Stiles, almost as if it would help him to wake up.

His eye contact only broke when he heard a familiar voice at the door.

"Didn't I tell you that a trigger is only cause for trouble?"

Derek stood and growled at the figure in the doorway.

"Is that any way to greet your favourite uncle? Especially when he might have a way to help you." Peter held up his claws and raised his eyebrows as he stared down at Isaac.

Derek realised what he had in mind and right now he was desperate to try anything.


	21. Chapter 21

"Wait, you want to do what to me?" Isaac hissed as the three stood in the open doorway.

"It's a way of unlocking hidden memories or things you've forgotten." Derek said, glancing back at Stiles.

"It can also make you forget." Peter added.

"And it means that I have to put my faith in you which isn't option number one for me." Derek growled.

"Ah yes, but it might be for Mr Stilinski." Peter smiles a little and Derek narrowed his eyes, knowing that he was right and resenting it.

"What is this going to achieve?" Isaac asked. "I'm not letting you stick those things into the back of my neck if it's not going to do any good."

"So untrusting." Peter crooned.

"He has good reason to be." Derek said.

"It is true that I may have had a few… minor errors in judgement over the last year." Peter said.

"You killed my sister."

Isaac gulped, hoping there wouldn't be a bloodbath in the middle of the hospital.

"Yes, well, that was rather unfortunate…"

"Can someone answer the question?" Isaac said, annoyed at Peter's callousness.

"If we can completely unlock your memories we can maybe get a better idea of who this person is. Then we can track them down in their human state." Derek said.

"Do you think they'll be able to tell us how to help Stiles?" Isaac asked hopefully.

"Be able to, probably, be _willing_ to… that's the tricky question." Peter rolled his eyes.

Isaac sighed, knowing that ideas were running low at the moment. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Wonderful, perhaps we should go somewhere a little more… appropriate?" Peter suggested.

"I am not leaving him and you are not going _anywhere_ with Isaac alone." Derek said forcefully.

"Derek, Scott will be here, and the sheriff. You know as well as I do that this is a long shot but we've got nothing else to go on right now." Isaac said softly.

Derek huffed out a great worried sigh before he nodded. "I'll drive, and I'll choose the place."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Peter said.

Begrudgingly, Derek left Stiles in the care of his father and Scott as the three of them headed downstairs to the Camaro and headed in the direction of the clinic. It may have been the middle of the night but he knew that Deaton was doing anything but sleeping tonight.

Isaac felt a little nervous about what Peter was about to do but with Derek and Deaton in the room he would feel much better. They reached the clinic and Derek headed to the back door, hammering on it hard.

After a few moments Deaton came to the door, eyes sunken and clearly as exhausted as the rest of them. His eyes fell on Peter and he looked taken aback.

"Well good evening to you all, I must say I wasn't expecting your company." He said before stepping aside to let them come through.

"Dr Deaton, how nice to see you again." Peter smiled and Derek felt like tearing off his arm.

"We have some things to take care of." Isaac grumbled.

"Before that, have you found anything?" Derek said.

"Actually, I have. It might be a long shot but I think I can explain what's going on." Deaton said and they all looked over expectantly. "Do you remember what I said about the kiss of death and how she takes the youth and vibrancy from barely more than a few drops of blood?"

"Vaguely." Derek said.

"Well I believe that her poison is worthless unless she has taken blood from her victim; almost a ritual of give and take. Her claws must be bathed in the poison and somehow she must have had some of his blood on her hands after the attack. Don't ask me how this works because I'm not aware of the specifics, but for her ritual of taking his youth she must ingest the blood. It's the only way to explain what's happening. It also explains why the process is slower."

Isaac nodded. "Jackson said it was a few minutes before he collapsed, maybe that was because she was too busy running. When she stopped she must have realised that she could still make a kill." He regretted those last words and swallowed hard at the dark look he got from Derek.

"It's the only answer I have." Deaton said.

"So he's in the next phase." Derek muttered.

"Yes, his state shows that he is growing weaker. The sooner we have answers the better." Deaton said.

"That's where I come in." Peter said.

"What exactly is it that you're planning?" Deaton asked.

"An old trick taught to me by older sister. Tapping into the nervous system and unlocking things that appear to have been lost forever."

"Or hiding things that you don't want anyone to know." Derek said, having memories of his mother taking away things that he shouldn't have known.

"I'm trying to help you here Derek." He smiled.

"Look, can we please just try this now? If we keep putting it off I'm going to get cold feet and both of us want to get back to the hospital." Isaac said.

"I think I know what you mean; I've seen Talia use it on her old pack members before." Deaton said and Derek ground his teeth together.

"Shall we begin?" Peter said, looking over at Derek.

He sighed. "Fine, but I'm not opposed to tearing your throat out again if you even think about hurting him."

"Fair enough."

Deaton got Isaac a chair and placed it in the middle of the room. He leant against one of his bench tops and Derek leant against the large metal table as Peter rolled up his sleeves. Isaac took a seat nervously and looked up at Derek.

Peter stepped in closer and extended his claws.

"Is this going to hurt?" He asked.

Derek tilted his head to the side and Peter smiled. "Only for a second." He said before sharply inserting his claws into the back of his neck.

Isaac cried out in pain, his canines breaking through and his eyes glowing a bright yellow ochre.

"Now let's hope I can remember how to do this…" Peter said.

"_What?!_" Isaac said.

"Ignore him and think back to that night." Derek said.

Isaac began to think about it, in all its blurry nothingness and with a flick of his finger Isaac was seeing things much clearer.

He remembered that he and Boyd had gone out for a big fed at lunchtime and that they had eaten five burgers between them. He remembered coming back to Derek's loft and taking a shower, and then walking around the place naked for a while because he had it all to himself.

He remembered that he had taken the time to just lie in bed and read for the first time in ages. He had always loved it but kind of let it slip away a bit in recent months.

He remembered that he was in the last chapter of his book when he heard Scott come up in the lift and head up the stairs. He had knocked on the door only a few times before Isaac opened it, staring at him face to face.

"Hey."

"Hi…"

They exchanged their awkward words before getting down to serious matters. He remembered smelling something on Scott that he had thought he never would. He remembered taking a chance and kissing him hard on the mouth, and Scott had kissed him back. He had wanted it as much as Isaac and he could smell it in the air.

He remembered that Scott pulled away and tried to convince himself that he didn't want it, and Isaac couldn't listen to it so he left, on foot, to walk down his old favourite path.

"I… I think I can see something." He said, his eyes closed and Derek, Peter and Deaton listening in closely.

"What do you see?" Derek asked.

He could smell that strange creature and felt like he had experienced it before so he walked towards it, the closer he got the more of a pull he felt until he couldn't get away. And then he saw her, standing before him and beckoning him over. He was powerless to resist and she drew him in, her cat-like face and alluring gaze leaving him breathless. Her face was half human, like his werewolf mask, and there was something about her that he recognised, he couldn't quite figure it out but her face was now burned in his memory. He wouldn't soon forget it.

"There!" Isaac said and Peter pulled out his claws in one swift move.

Isaac panted and put a hand to the back of his neck where the small cuts were already healing.

"What is it? What did you see?" Derek said frantically.

"I know her… at least I think I do. Let me think it through, I know I can place her I just don't know where!" Isaac said, frustrated.

He knew he recognised her but he couldn't put a name to her face. It would be the one thing to drive him mad. That and what he remembered about him and Scott.

Derek growled a little under his breath and started to pace.

"At least we have something." Peter said.

"There is no _we_." Derek said.

"Sorry Derek, I'll figure it out, I know I will." Isaac sighed.

"Let's hope he has time for that." Derek grunted before heading out the back door and back to the Camaro.

He was done here and if Isaac wasn't in that car he was going to be walking back to the hospital.

Peter gave him a little wave, which he did not return, and he raced out to the car to make it back.

The drive was excruciating. Derek said nothing as his mind ticked over amidst the troubles they faced. He was clearly trying to find a way to change Stiles' fate because right now it wasn't looking good.

They pulled up and parked and couldn't get past the ER desk. Isaac thought Derek was about to tear someone apart but instead he took a seat on one of the couches in the waiting area and said nothing more.

If Isaac was going to admit it, he was actually slightly terrified. He closed his eyes and tried to picture that creature's face. It was so familiar. He focussed on her looks, her scent, everything about her just praying that he could remember. If they find out her identity they'll be one step closer to finding her.

Scott woke up the next morning surprised that Derek and Isaac were gone; he walked across the ward to peek into Erica's room. Boyd was asleep beside the bed, his head lolling back over the chair. _Strange_, he thought.

He headed back to Stiles' room and sat down, pulling out his phone.

_Are you with Derek?_

He sent to Isaac. He responded almost instantly.

**Stuck downstairs. I'll explain later.**

It wasn't long before the sheriff was stirring and Scott migrated to Erica's room to give them some space. He could still hear him sobbing quietly when he was over there but tried so hard to block it out.

Erica seemed to be doing much better, she woke up with a lot more energy and Boyd said that the doctors expect her to be fully recovered by tomorrow. She woke up with a smile and her first words were asking about Stiles.

"He's not good." Scott said.

She sighed. He had been the one to save her and the least she wanted to do was give him her thanks. They would never have found her if it hadn't been for his map. He had tried to help them by leaving her his phone but it was damaged in the river.

"Is there anything we can do?" She croaked, still feeling weak but healing.

"I don't know." Scott said helplessly.

When Derek and Isaac finally made it back up to the ward Derek came in to check on Erica before heading straight back to Stiles. The sheriff was composing himself and Derek waited at the door to let him pass.

"Listen Derek, I just want to apologise for snapping at you before. It's just… well, I suppose you know. Just uh, thanks, for staying here with him." He said, his red eyes trying to smile.

"Thanks for letting me." Derek replied.

The sheriff left him with a nod, having to head back to the station to finalise a few things and no doubt be told by his deputies to take some time off, especially with Stiles in the state he is now.

The day dragged on slowly. No one really knew what to do with themselves. Derek was deep in thought and the others were in talking to Erica, to keep her spirits up. When the evening rolled around again they were no better off than they had been in the morning.

Isaac and Scott headed down to the cafeteria to get some dinner and Isaac had some questions brimming in his mind about the things he had remembered. He hadn't told Scott about Peter's little trick yet. He just knew that Scott had kissed him back. Wasn't that all he needed to know.

As they sat down Isaac couldn't help his staring and Scott had started to notice, smiling with his half smile and awkwardly looking away.

"Why are you looking at me?" He said.

"No reason, I was just… just thinking."

"About what?" Scott said, shovelling a forkful of past into his mouth.

Isaac thought for a second. "About the night I got attacked by that thing."

Scott looked up. "What about it?" Isaac heard his heart beat get a little faster. "Do you… do you remember anything else?"

"Do you want me to?" Isaac asked, suddenly serious.

Scott finished chewing his mouthful slowly and swallowed. "I want you to remember. I mean, it could help Stiles right?"

"That all?" Isaac asked.

Scott just looked up. "Why?"

Isaac shook his head. "No reason."

The two of them exchanged looks. Isaac wasn't going to say that he remembered, not if Scott thought it was better for him to forget. Scott gave Isaac a smile, oblivious.

"Boys!" They looked up to see Melissa walking over to them in fresh scrubs, about to start her next shift.

The expression on her face was not one of a woman with confidence, in fact she looked like she was going to be the bearer of bad news.

"Mom, what's going on?" Scott said.

"This is about Stiles isn't it?" Isaac sighed.

She sat down beside them with a sombre look. "I followed all the patient files hoping I could find out some more and I did."

"Really? How long did the infection last?" Scott asked.

"Five days from when they went into their coma." She said flatly.

"Well that's good right?" Scott said hopefully.

"Scott…" Isaac said.

He looked to his mother and she shook her head. "Isaac and Erica have been the only ones so far to recover."

"And we all know what the common element there is." Isaac sighed, a sinking feeling suddenly hitting him square in the gut.

Scott nodded and Melissa rubbed his shoulder. "I'm sorry Scott." She said before standing up to get back to work.

His eyes turned glassy and he nodded to himself. Isaac put a hand on his knee and gave it a squeeze, knowing nothing he could say would make this any better. They left the cafeteria, suddenly not so hungry, and headed back up to the ward.

"Listen Scott…"

"Don't say it Isaac, I'm not going to let him die. I don't care what it takes; he would give up everything for me. He risked it all to save Erica didn't he?" He said as they walked through the hall.

"I'm not arguing with you Scott. Just tell me what you need and I'll do it." They stopped and Isaac saw the fear in Scott's eyes.

He reached out and brushed his fingertips over his wrist and Scott grabbed his hand, taking it roughly in his. He tried to be strong but his veil was wearing thin.

Isaac's attention waned and he looked through the doors of Stiles' room where Derek was sitting by the bed. He could hear Derek's heart speed up as he stared down at Stiles' bare arm and Isaac didn't have to think too hard to know what he was thinking.

"Uh… Scott…" He said.

Scott followed his gaze and came to the same conclusion. He ran to the door and forced it open.

"Derek don't!" He yelled.

Isaac came running in behind him.

Derek looked up, his eyes blank. "Why not?"

"He doesn't want it Derek!" Scott said.

"What's going on?" Jackson and Boyd were quick to the doorway and it didn't take them long to figure it out.

They didn't say anything, they just looked from Scott to Derek waiting to see how this would go down.

Derek was still holding tightly to Stiles' good wrist, his eyes devoid of hope. He knew what Melissa had told Isaac and Scott, he knew that Stiles was a human and no human survives the kiss of death from this creature. He knew that it had already been two days, it took five for the effects to completely take hold and after that… there would be nothing left to save.

"He's trying to give him the bite! He doesn't want it Derek!" Scott said.

"Look… can we just all calm down." Isaac said, putting his hands up cautiously.

One split second could mean the difference between a human and a wolf.

"You know that humans don't get better from this." Derek said.

"He might not survive the bite."

"He won't survive without it." Derek growled.

"Derek, he doesn't want it." Scott said.

"Do you want to watch him die? Should we just keep doing nothing?"

"We'll try anything else, _everything_ else… Derek, think about this. Think about what you're doing." Isaac said.

"You don't want this either Derek." Boyd said.

Derek stayed quiet for a moment, his face never changing. "If we don't have anything in two days you won't be able to stop me. I won't let him die. Not here and not now." Derek dropped his hand and stood up, pushing past the others to leave the room.

Scott let all the air out of his lungs knowing that this would happen if they couldn't save him in some other way. The bite could kill him anyway but in three days his time would be up.

"Would it be so bad if he was a part of the pack?" Jackson asked.

"Jackson he doesn't want to be a werewolf." Scott said.

"And he's already a member of this pack." Boyd added.

"Scott…" Isaac said something inside of him clicking.

"What?" Scott asked, looking over at him.

"I think… I think I know who did this…" He said.

"Tell us." Boyd said, wanting to go after the person who did this to Erica and Stiles.

He rolled his eyes and sighed before staring down at Stiles. "You need to call Derek back; he's not going to like it." He said, shaking his head. "You know the one time I need you to talk you can't." He muttered down at him. "Damn it Stiles."


	22. Chapter 22

"Hello? Yeah, hi Danny." Jackson said as he held the phone to one ear with a finger in the other one. "Listen, I just have something I want to ask."

The rest of the pack stood around him in Erica's room, Derek eyeing him almost furiously as they tried to track her down.

Isaac knew where he had seen her now, he would know those eyes anywhere, not just anyone had eyes like that; one blue, one green.

"Uh, sure, hey I heard about Stiles, is he going to be okay?" Danny said through the phone.

"That depends…" Jackson said.

"On what?"

"Well, kind of on the answers you can give me."

"How do you figure that?"

"Can I just ask you? We don't really have much time here." Jackson said following prompt from Derek.

"You know one of these days you're going to have to explain what the hell happened to you. You've changed Jackson, and sure, what do you need?"

"You remember that party that we came to with you?"

"Yeah…" Danny said.

"Do you remember the girl that Stiles was talking to? You know, the one that got Derek all murderous and stuff." _Kind of like he is now_, he thought.

"Uh, seriously Jackson it was a while ago now, I remember Kyle's party but otherwise-"

"Kyle! It was his house? Can you like give me his number or something?" Jackson said hurriedly.

"I guess… what's any of this got to do with Stiles?"

"Can you just text it through to me Danny? I have to go."

"Yeah sure." He hung up.

A few moments later Jackson held up the phone with Kyle's number on it.

"Call him." Derek said.

"Here, let me do it." Isaac said, holding out his hand for the phone.

Jackson handed it over and Isaac pressed the green call button.

He waited for the rings and tapped his foot impatiently until he finally picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Kyle?"

"Yes… why, who's this?" Isaac knew this was important and he was trying his hardest not to mess it up.

"Oh, my name is Isaac, I came to one of your parties a few weeks ago. I was actually trying to track down a girl."

"I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with this dude."

"Okay, okay, look. We kind of, slept together that night and she left some stuff in my car, I only just found it when I did a clean out and I uh… want to give it back to her." Everyone rolled their eyes and Jackson shook his head.

"Why did I give it to him?" He said and Boyd chuckled.

"If you slept with her then why are you calling me, it was just my house." Kyle said.

"Yeah but I didn't get her number and I figured you might know her… her number, you might know her number."

"Maybe, who was she?"

_Crap_, Isaac thought, he couldn't remember her name. "Uh… well, she had these really distinctive eyes…"

Kyle laughed. "Dude, you scoundrel. And you mean Karissa right? With the blue and green eyes?"

"Yes! Yes, Karissa. You don't happen to have her number do you?" God he hoped he did.

"Uh, no, sorry I don't." His heart sank, how were they ever going to track her down? "I do know where she works though."

"That would be great."

"Ice cream place along fifth, it's kind of out of the way. She usually does afternoons if you want to catch her… or if you don't." He said.

"Thank you, seriously man, I owe you one." Isaac hung up.

"So let's get down there!" Scott said.

"It's too late, she'll be gone by now." Derek said, his arms folded.

He walked out of the room and back to Stiles, watching over him in case there was any sign of improvement, without much hope.

The rest of them stayed back with Erica, the mood very low.

"I'm going to be discharged tomorrow morning. I'll be able to help you." Erica said softly.

"You can go home and stay in bed." Boyd said.

"I'm almost healed, I'm not an invalid… anymore." She said. "Thanks to Stiles." She said with a sigh.

"No one say anything." Jackson said, leaning against the wall.

"There has to be something else we can try, or Derek's going to give him the bite." Isaac said.

"I still don't know why you think that's so bad." Jackson said with his eyes closed.

"He doesn't… want it." Scott said.

"He might not have a choice." Erica said softly.

"Who thinks that he should get the bite?" Scott said and Erica and Jackson raised their hands. "And who thinks he shouldn't?" Scott raised his own hand and so did Isaac.

They all turned to look at Boyd who hadn't answered either question.

"Look, I just think that if it comes down to it then he should, but if we can help it then we should do what he wants." He shrugged.

"Well, what about that pain thing?" Jackson said.

"What are you talking about?" Isaac said.

"You know, that thing where we can take people's pain away, I mean, could we use that to heal him or something?" Jackson said.

They all looked around at one another, none of them knowing the answer.

"There's only one way to find out." Erica said.

She nodded to the door and the boys walked out and across the ward. They gathered in the doorway and Derek looked up with a roll of his eyes.

"Can I help you or are you all just going for a little stroll?" He snapped.

"Look we have something that we can try, I don't know if it will work but we don't want him to get the bite." Scott said.

"Some of us…" Jackson muttered.

"What is it?" Derek said impatiently.

He was still holding Stiles' hand tightly, trying not to get any hope from the things they were telling him. He explained Jackson's idea, and that maybe if they pooled all their energies together they could trigger his healing. Derek's heart sped up a little. He promised himself he wouldn't put his faith in anything and it was all too soon before any little hope he had was torn away.

"It's not going to work the way you want it to." They spun around to see Peter poking his head through the door.

Derek rolled his eyes and Scott scoffed. "Are you always here?" he said.

"Well we're all worried about Stiles aren't we?" He said.

"We are, you? Not so much." Isaac said.

"All I'm saying is that you're better off finding this girl because this method will, not, work."

"How do you know?" Derek said.

Peter smiled. "I've been around far longer than you Derek, I've seen a lot more."

"Well we're going to try it anyway." Scott said, turning his back on Peter and heading to Stiles' side.

Peter just rolled his eyes and leant against the door as they stood around Stiles, all looking like they had no idea what they were doing, which of course they didn't.

"How are we going to do this?" Jackson asked.

"I guess… I don't know." Scott said.

Derek's hand held Stiles' tightly and his veins started turning black. Scott was next, placing his hand on his chest and trying to take away his afflictions. One by one they placed a hand on him and drew his pain from his body, he even gained a little colour, but even the five of them trying to cure him did nothing more than add a little pink to his sunken cheeks.

Derek stopped trying and resisted standing up and ripping out Peter's throat after his 'I told you so'. Scott sighed, tearing away his hand and storming out of the room. He was running low on ideas and he couldn't take it anymore. Isaac ran after him.

"That may have worked had he been a werewolf. A pack bond is something very strong that we can't always explain." Peter said.

"Why are you here?" Derek asked.

"You might think I'm cold but I do have a heart." Peter pulled a faux hurt look and Derek shook his head.

"I thought you hated Stiles." Boyd said.

"Oh he's more annoying than any human I've ever met, I'm trying to do something nice for my dear nephew." Peter smiled.

"Don't fall for that." Derek said, caressing Stiles' hair and swallowing hard.

"Would the two of you mind if I talk to Derek-dearest alone?" He said.

Jackson and Boyd headed back to Erica. Already tired of Peter's antics.

"What do you want?" Derek said.

"What are you doing? Sitting by his bedside like an old maid. You know how this will end."

"Not necessarily." Derek growled low in his throat.

Peter chuckled. "Do you really think you're going to give him the bite? After what happened to Paige?"

"Do you want me to sit here and watch him die like I did with Paige?"

"I thought it was slightly different in her case." Derek's growl got louder.

"What. Do. You. Want?" He said through gritted teeth.

"Can't you see what this town is doing to you? You'll never get away from it if you keep finding reasons to stay."

"I did leave. I left with Laura and we came back."

"Look how much good that did."

"What's your point Peter? Are you here to point out how everything has either died or betrayed me in this town or do you have a larger purpose?" He hissed.

Peter smiled. "We could get out of here. Leave and put it all behind us. We would never have to come back to this place. I almost did but then I was burned alive so that kind of put a damper in my plans."

Derek shook his head and closed his eyes.

"In a week there will be nothing left for you here."

"If I say I'll think about it will you leave us in peace?" Derek said.

"For now." Peter smiled again and walked out of the room.

Derek exhaled shakily and held back his tears, not being able to deny Peter's words.

"I'm sorry Stiles, I'm so sorry Stiles." He murmured.

The next day plans were set into motion. Derek wasn't going to let this girl get away with what she's done and so he was taking Jackson and Isaac down to the ice-cream shop where she works to… sort things out as it were.

Isaac worried that it would end up far worse than it sounded. They stopped by the clinic before they headed out, Deaton had made some more of that wretched tonic to stop her from sucking them in.

That really was the last thing they needed.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Deaton asked as Derek downed his shot of the potion.

"We're fine." He said.

"Derek, maybe it would be a good idea." Isaac said.

"I don't want you to do something you'll regret." Deaton said.

Derek looked up. "I could only regret it if I let her slip through my fingers."

"If we can grab her then we can bring her back here." Jackson suggested.

"If it gets that far." Derek said.

"Derek Hale you are not a killer." Deaton said.

Derek looked up with his nostrils flaring. "I think you'll find different evidence to go with that claim doc."

Deaton sighed. "If I don't see you back here before the sun sets I will come down there Derek."

"And do what exactly?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Just try to think things through, let's not go down there with the mantra 'shoot first ask questions later'." Deaton said.

"We'll be fine." Derek said as he headed out to the car.

Deaton sighed. "I suppose I'll have to count on the two of you to make sure he doesn't kill everyone in sight?"

"Yeah, probably." Jackson shrugged.

"I'll make sure he doesn't do anything… rash." Isaac said and Deaton nodded before they headed out to meet Derek at the car.

The tension in the car on the drive was shocking. No one said anything and no one really knew what to say. They knew what Derek could do if he lost his control and they needed to stop that from happening.

It was late afternoon when they parked the car across the road and their plan could really begin. Jackson was going to go in and figure out whether she was alone. Then he would send a message to Isaac and Derek telling them when to come inside.

"If she looks like she's flirting maybe you should pretend to get you know, possessed." Isaac said.

"Yeah, Lydia would kill me and I'm more scared of her than I am of this thing."

"Get out there. Now." Derek said.

"Okay then." Jackson rolled his eyes and walked across the road to the quaint little shop.

From what he could see, it was deserted.

He opened the door and the little bell rang. He started checking out the flavours, waiting for someone to offer him service. The worst part was that they all looked pretty tasty.

"Hey there! How can I help you?" A short brunette girl with a beaming smile came walking out from the back, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Hi, I'm just having a look." Jackson said with a charming smile.

He looked at her name badge; Karissa. When he looked into her eyes he saw that she had one bright blue and one bright green.

"You know, you have amazing eyes there." He said.

She shrugged. "It runs in my family." Her eyelashes fluttered and he tilted his head to his side.

"Sorry, you must get that all the time." He said.

"I like it like that though." She smiled.

"You seem so lonely in here, you on your own?" He asked, leaning on the counter.

"It's a quiet place so all I really need is myself. Though it's not every day that gorgeous customers like you come walking in here though." She smiled.

"Maybe I'll stick around then, I'll grab one scoop of that one." He said with an arrogant smile.

As she started to prepare his order he took out his phone to text Isaac.

_She's alone. Now is time._

He put it back in his pocket and paid for his ice cream. He took a seat and she bit her lip with another flutter of her eyes and it wasn't long before Derek and Isaac walked into the shop with two chimes of the bell.

"Hey guys, what can I do for you?" She chirped.

Derek stare was murderous and Isaac looked incredibly nervous.

"Are you telling me you don't know?" Derek said and she looked from one to the other.

"Uh… I can only assume that you're undecided on your flavour?" She said.

Derek's knuckles cracked as he squeezed them together tightly. "Don't remember him?" He jerked his head towards Isaac and she looked confused.

"No, should I?" She folded her arms.

Isaac wasn't so sure anymore. He looked at her and breathed in her scent but something was off. It was definitely what he had smelt in the forest but there was something different and he couldn't quite figure it out.

Derek let out a low growl and his eyes flashed red.

She looked at the two of them, breathing heavily and turned to run through the back. Derek jumped the counter and grabbed her by the arm, throwing her into the wall. He took her by the throat and pinned her there, slowly lifting her higher until her feet were barely scraping the ground. She sputtered and hissed and her eyes grew wider, pupils turning to slits.

"Derek stop!" Isaac yelled.

"She attacked him, she attacked you. Who knows how many others she's killed?" He said.

"It wasn't me!" She coughed.

"Don't lie to me!"

"I can't! Not yet! I haven't killed anyone!" She yelled back.

"Derek stop! It think she's telling the truth!" Isaac said.

"What? She reeks of that thing in the woods!" Jackson said.

"Something is different, look at her!" Isaac said.

She was still choking in Derek's stranglehold.

"Please…" She said with barely a breath left in her.

Derek thought about letting her die under his hand but that would get them nowhere. He dropped her and she fell to the floor, gasping for breath.

"Are you fucking crazy? Anyone could have walked in!" She said.

"Start talking now or I swear to god I'll tear out your throat in front of anyone who wants to watch." Derek growled.

"Alpha huh?" She said, slowly standing up. "Big dog on campus?" She narrowed her eyes and Derek growled.

"I'm faster and stronger than you are, and your charms don't work on me one bit so playing games with me right now is a very stupid move."

"Why are you here? What do you want with me?" she said.

"Our friend was attacked, he's in the hospital. We know what you are Karissa." Isaac said.

"If you knew your shit then you'd know that I'm only seventeen. I'm not fully matured yet." She said glaring at the group of them.

"What do you mean?" Jackson said and Derek was getting very impatient.

"Jesus Christ, were you just going to kill me before you knew anything at all? You fucking werewolves act all high and mighty when it comes to your damn packs but you're just as happy to do the killing. I take it someone's dead? Or dying?" she said. "You think we're such vile killing machines but you were just going to slash me up without a word. I was not raised to be like my ancestors, okay?" She sneered.

"You said we don't know anything, so tell us." Isaac said.

"You think I'm going to tell you anything?" She said.

"If you want to survive the next five minutes you'll start talking." Derek said.

She rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "I take it you know the story, well, part of it. We call ourselves the Maeve, the first of our kind was born from the child of Bastet, a protective deity from Egypt and one of Lilith's children. If you know anything about the children of Lilith then you'll know that they haunted men for thousands of years, taking from them what made them young and eventually killing them. This was to punish them for that asshole Adam's mistake. He thought he could control her but he was severely wrong.

"When her child seduced the son of Bastet the genes mixed and we were created. All the power of Lilith and beyond beautiful, with the power to seduce men at will." She seemed pretty proud of herself at that part. "It's all in the pheromones." She said with a flutter of her eyelashes.

"You do that one more time I'll tear you apart." Derek said.

She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, we don't get our full abilities until we're eighteen. I mean we can still wrap a man around our fingers with a simple look but full transformation only comes when we're mature. You don't have to believe me but I have no reason to lie, especially with you threatening me the way you are. I don't have claws and I don't turn into a fucking cat when I want to fuck a guy. Simple as that."

"You've got a pretty foul mouth on you." Jackson said.

"Yeah well my species isn't too fond of your gender coming in and acting like the boss so excuse me for being so rude." She snapped before sighing and giving them a genuine look. "Listen, my mother always taught me that we just don't do that anymore, I don't want to kill anyone. I'll admit it, I might use my appeal to sleep with guys but I have never killed a man. Or a woman while we're at it, that is totally against the code."

"Code?" Isaac said.

"It's a figure of speech okay, can you leave me alone now?" she said.

"You might not be doing this but you know enough about it to know what happens to victims." Derek said, still not convinced.

"Yeah, it takes five days to complete the ritual. The victim slowly gets weaker until we've absorbed everything we can and then on the fifth day they die." She shrugged. "I guess you're only asking because someone's in a bit of trouble?"

They looked from one to the other before Isaac spoke up. "Is there any way to cure them?"

"No, if the ritual begins they're going to die."

The three of them heard her heartbeat change and gave each other a mutual look. "You're lying." Derek said.

"Okay, werewolves live, you happy?" she said, assuming the person they're worried for is one of them.

"He's not a werewolf."

"There's no cure." She said.

"You're lying. I can hear it." Derek snarled. "You know of a way."

She glared over at him. "You have a lot of anger, I can feel it. I can do a lot more than just seduce you know." Derek growled and she rolled her eyes. "I've heard of a way, yes, but I've never heard of it being done and it's not supposed to be a pleasant experience, for me anyway." She muttered.

"Maybe we should take her to see Deaton." Jackson said.

"Are you going to come willingly or am I going to have to force you?" Derek said.

"As much as I would _love_ to give you the satisfaction of knocking me out and dragging me to your car like the big brutish werewolf you are, I think I can manage myself." She said.

Derek still grabbed her arm and pulled her out through the back door and towards the car. If there was any chance she could save Stiles he was not letting her out of his sight for a second.


	23. Chapter 23

Karissa sat in the back seat with Isaac on the drive to the clinic. She sat staring at him for the entirety of the trip which made him very uncomfortable.

"Do you have to do that?" He asked.

"What the hell have done to yourself?"

"Excuse me?"

"You don't feel that pull? You aren't at all even slightly attracted to me right now?" She said.

"Not at all, actually, I might even be a little bit repulsed." He said.

"For the last time, I never killed anyone!" She hissed. "And whoever this guy is I can't wait to meet him because whatever he gave you works, and really well."

"Who said he gave us anything?"

"Isaac, don't engage with the psychopath." Jackson said from the passenger seat.

"Why am I the psycho here? Because I'm a different creature to you? That's basically racism." She sneered.

"No, because you seem to find all of this amusing." Jackson retorted.

"You know I've never met any werewolves before, you're my first." She smiled.

"Well I've never met a…"

"Maeve." She said dryly.

"Whatever that is." Jackson snorted.

"It means 'she who intoxicates'. Don't you think it fits?" she smiled again. "Some cultures like to add 'demon' in front of it because legends say she comes into the villages and rids them of their men and therefore cursing the village to a terrible fate." She rolled her eyes.

"Are you some kind of feminist or something?" Isaac said.

"We have our own beliefs and ideas about how the world works as I'm sure werewolves do too." She shrugged.

"We're here." Derek said, pulling up outside the clinic and getting out of the car.

Isaac dragged Karissa with him until Derek came and grabbed her, more forcefully and with a far tighter grip.

"Ouch, hey! I can heal faster than humans but if you break my arm it's going to fucking hurt." She snapped.

Derek cared very little about her pain.

They knocked on the back door and Deaton opened it with Lydia and Allison standing behind him.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Jackson asked as Deaton let them in.

"Trying to catch a glimpse of the bitch who tried to kill our friend." Lydia said with a shrug.

Karissa laughed. "How many times do I have to say that I didn't do this before someone listens?"

"I haven't heard the story so you're free to share it with me." Deaton said as Derek shoved her down into a chair and held her in place with a painful hand on her shoulder.

She gave him a dirty glare before looking to Deaton. "Shall we start with the formalities or are we on a tight deadline?" She sneered up at Derek who let out a warning growl.

"Derek, try to stay calm." Deaton said. "My name Dr Deaton, I suppose you could call me the emissary for this pack, and you are?"

"Karissa, I suppose you could call me the crazy cat lady seeing as I'm seriously stuck in the doghouse." Deaton chuckled a little.

"You have a fair bit of fight there."

She grinned and began to laugh. "I'm here against my will so clearly not enough."

"You really _aren't _human, are you?" Allison said with a disgusted look and a shake of her head.

"Now, now sweet heart, we're supposed to be on the same side here." She sneered.

"You tried to kill three of my friends, two of them are still in the hospital." Allison said.

Karissa rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'm done playing nice here. I never touched anyone. I can't even perform the change yet. The most I get are these ugly-ass eyes that turn into slits when I'm angry or whatever. Sort of like his are all the time." She motioned to Derek next to her.

His grip tightened and she winced.

"Would you like to give me a sample of your blood to test?" Deaton asked.

"I suppose you'd take it no matter what I said." She held out her arm to let him take some.

After looking over his slides and checking Stiles' blood slides against it Deaton nodded to himself. "Fascinating." He said.

"What's fascinating?" Jackson said.

"She has no traces of that poison in her blood stream, usually the carriers will have a base supply but I can't see anything here." He said.

"Give it six months. I'll be eighteen and the urges will be even stronger. Do you have any idea what we have to go through to keep ourselves in check?" The werewolves in the room all gave her a look and she rolled her eyes. "Okay, maybe you do."

"Tell me about the process." Deaton asked.

"Well, when we're born we're basically just like normal little kids just people seem to find us more… I don't know, we're cuter than the average baby I guess. It's a pheromone balance thing. Anyway, when we get to about twelve or thirteen we develop the basis of our powers. We can control our pheromone output and sense things that shouldn't be possible. It's not even something I can explain properly so please don't ask me for details on that.

"We can figure out how to control it and make it work in our favour, the only physical aspect is the eyes changing. When we turn eighteen the poison is fully developed and we experience out first full transformation on the first full moon after our birthday. It takes a while to be able to control the transformation but it's not supposed to be _that _hard… unless you've already killed. Once you make the first ritual killing it becomes something that you get obsessed with and can't stop." She said.

"Why is that?" Deaton asked.

"There's more than one type of Maeve, we're just one species. Sometimes others like us are called succubi and some legends say that we're immortal. That's just not true. We can perpetuate a state that seems like immortality but it's not in the sense that people think."

"So… the ritual of killing and taking the youth and vibrancy of a young man it a literal absorption of his youth, keeping the _Maeve_ younger and more vital for longer." Deaton filled in the gaps.

"Essentially, yes. The more men you kill the younger you stay. The younger they are the stronger you get. Obviously killing babies would be totally horrible, it's why the allure doesn't often work on men younger than twelve. It's the cut off." She exhaled, tired from recounting years of teachings from her own mother. "We don't have to _kill _young men to stay young, seducing a man and sleeping with him gives you a… I don't know, a buzz I guess and it does make you younger, but it's nowhere near as potent as the ritual."

"And you say you go by the… alternative method?" Deaton asked a little uncomfortably.

She narrowed her eyes. "I plan to screw myself younger rather than become a murderess she-devil, yes."

"I apologize." Deaton said.

She shrugged. "It's the way it has to be. I've known who I am since I was about eight. I'm pretty desensitised."

"None of this tells us how we can help Stiles." Lydia said, tapping her foot and folding her arms.

"Stiles?" Karissa asked.

"You've met him once before, I think you should just buy yourself some face cream rather than using him to make you look younger." Lydia snapped.

"I think I remember, yeah, I don't think you could forget a name like _Stiles_." She laughed.

"He's dying Karissa. You said you don't want to kill people, well someone like you _is_ killing people and he's going to be next if we don't do something. You also said you knew of a way to cure this." Isaac said, his eyes now pleading.

"I said I might." She said.

"Karissa if you know anything then please, tell us how to save him." Deaton said.

"Why should I help you? They were perfectly happy to just kill me before they knew the whole story." She shook her head.

"That was just Derek, you'll have to forgive him for that. He and Stiles… well, I don't really know how to put it." Deaton looked over at Derek who was looking away.

Karissa turned her head up to look at him. "I remember now, you came over and broke the gaze. So your boyfriend's dying huh?"

Derek sighed.

"Karissa please. All you have to do is tell us what we need and then you can go. We will never even cross paths with you again if you just help us." Isaac pleaded.

She sighed and shook her head. "If it were that easy, I would, but to cure him you'd need me to be there and it won't be enjoyable."

"Will you at least come and see him?" Allison said, trying out her human tactics.

"Do I have a choice?" She asked bitterly.

"No, but we're trying to extend a hand here." Isaac said.

"Only because you need me."

"You'd do the same if it was your family on the line." Deaton said.

"He's not your family. If, and I'm only saying if right now, _if_ I do this you'll owe me something. A favour, a gift, any one thing I ask for." She said.

"If you save him I'll be in your debt, you leave them out of it. This is between you and me." Derek said, turning to face her and taking his hand off her shoulder.

She looked up, studying his face and nodding slightly. "So where is he then?"

_Stiles – _

Everything is so surreal.

I stood by the hospital wall, staring at myself in the bed, frail and on the edge. I felt like I was standing behind a blurry veil just staring out at the rest of the world. I saw my dad sitting by my bed, pushing back my hair and sobbing gently because he knew what would almost inevitably happen.

I have watched Scott and Isaac sit by the bed and get closer to one another as Scott slowly broke down.

I watched Derek hold tightly onto my hand and kiss me and all I have wanted to was put my hands on the side of his face and kiss him and promise him that everything will be okay in the end.

My head keeps going over that last moment, the last thing I remember.

"_I love you too_."

I'd been trying to tell him, if I was going to die I wanted to tell him exactly how I felt because I needed him to know. Right now the only ones here were Boyd, Scott and my dad. I sniffed hard and felt a comforting hand caress my shoulder.

"Hallucinating is probably not the best sign, huh?" I said, a tear falling over my cheek as I tried to hold back.

"You can't give up sweet heart, I never did." I turned to her and sighed.

"You're just the hallucination talking." I sniffed again and knew how impossibly unreal this was but I still let her take me in her arms and suddenly I was a kid again.

It was like I had scraped my knee out in the street with Scott and she was there to make it better with just her arms and the warmth of her touch.

"Everything will be okay sweet heart." She said soothingly, stroking the back of my head and kissing my temple. "You can't let anything beat you down. Look how much you have to live for."

I mumbled into her shoulder. "I miss you."

"I know, but you can't give up. He needs you." She pointed to my dad and I turned back to look at him.

"You left him too remember."

"I had no choice; you have people fighting harder for you now." She smiled.

"We did fight for you." I said, taking her hand.

"Sometimes your fate is just sealed." She caressed my face with her other hand and I sucked my lips in trying not to cry.

"I don't want to leave you again." I choked.

"I have never left you baby." She kissed my forehead and pulled me in to her arms.

"This isn't just some regular old infection…" I started, shaking the tears from my eyes as I stared over at my dad, trying to reach out and touch him but never being close enough.

"I know."

"That's not just regular old Scott…" I sighed.

"I know."

"And Derek… Derek's…"

"He's just your regular old werewolf boyfriend?" She smiled warmly and I turned to sigh at her, my lip trembling.

"If I don't make it out of this…" I said with a croak in my voice, pausing to breathe and steady myself. "He's lost everything. He… he told me…"

"He loves you, I know. I can see that, I _have_ seen that. You and I both know that he is going to do everything to get you back there, or he'll die trying."

I smirked and shook my head a little, "yeah, he's a bit like that."

"I'm proud of you Stiles. When you go back there I want you to know that." She said.

"I love you mom." I whispered.

She pulled me in and kissed my head, squeezing me so tightly that I thought it may have been real, she could really have been here holding me like this wasn't just a hallucination.

"I love you more than you will ever realise son." Her breath fanned over my face and I nodded to her before closing my eyes.

Slipping back into my sleep I wondered if I would ever get out of this or whether I would be seeing a lot more of her in some kind of afterlife. I know one thing though, time for them to find a cure is running critically low.

The pack returned to the hospital with Karissa and Deaton in tow. All of them had their eyes glued to her to make sure she didn't try and run for it, they couldn't very well drag her in there with the staff and other patients and visitors watching. That just wasn't normal.

Isaac called Scott when they were outside, wanting to know if the sheriff was in with Stiles. They couldn't do this with him there either.

"Isaac, any more news?" Scott said when he answered.

"Well, actually you missed out on a lot."

"What? Why didn't you call me? I could have-"

"Scott just cool it for a second okay? Is his dad still there?"

"Uh, sitting by the bed, yeah. Why?" He whispered.

"I need you to find a way to get rid of him for a while."

"What? Why? How?"

"I can explain all of it if you can get him distracted. We might have found a way to save him." Isaac hissed.

"I'll see what I can do but I don't know if anything I try will work. He's pretty messed up right now." Scott said.

"I know, just try."

They hung up the phone and Scott filled Boyd in.

"Why do they need him out?" He whispered.

"I don't know but it's got to be important." Scott shrugged.

As he was trying to think of a way to distract the sheriff, his mother came in to do the hourly check-up. Suddenly it clicked.

"Mom!" He hissed, waving her over frantically.

She looked a little confused but headed over to him anyway. "What?"

"I need you to distract him for me." He nodded at the sheriff.

"You want me to take the man away from his dying son?" Her eyes were wide and questioning.

"Only for a while. Isaac just called, he thinks they have a way to save him but they need the sheriff out of here." He whispered.

Melissa looked over at him with a sigh. "You know I can't promise anything."

"I'll start doing my laundry." Scott offered with a smile and she shook her head.

"I'm due for a break soon anyway. I'll see what I can do."

"I love you mom." Scott smiled, his hope growing dangerously with every second that passed.

She shook her head. "Cavorting with a pack of werewolves, never thought I'd see the day." She walked over to the sheriff and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "How're you feeling John?" She asked.

He sat up and rubbed his red eyes. "I've been a lot better." He gave as much of a smile as he could muster. "How is he?"

"There's no change so far." The sheriff groaned and sighed. "That's not all bad, he's holding. He's stable at the moment. He's a fighter, you know that. He won't give up on you." She rubbed his back soothingly and he nodded. "You need to get out of this room, get yourself some dinner."

"No, I can't leave him here." He said.

Melissa looked back at Boyd and Scott who were nodding at her encouragingly. She shook her head again.

"If he could talk he'd tell you that you need something to eat, and that you need to get an actual night of sleep." She said.

He sighed. "He'd say a lot of things, most of them complete nonsense." He chuckled a little and Melissa smiled.

"I'm going for my dinner soon, how about we go down to the cafeteria and get some food into you. I'm on his case and they'll page me if anything happens so you'll know. You can't forget about yourself John."

He bobbed his head a little. "Yeah, I suppose I should eat something."

"Come on, it's on me." She smiled as he stood up.

"Oh no, I couldn't let you do that." He said.

"Relax, I get a food allowance so it's basically free anyway." She shrugged and he even managed a smile as she led him out of the room with a nod for Boyd and Scott.

Scott sent a message to Isaac.

**He's out getting food with my mom, explain now?**

He replied instantly.

_We're coming up, plus one._

Scott felt his skin go cold and showed the message to Boyd.

"Does… what does that mean?" He asked.

"I don't know but they better explain it to me soon." He said.

It was only a few minutes before the pack was walking up and into the room, shutting the door behind them. Erica followed them in, having just been discharged from her room and being free to go.

Scott watched as a familiar girl walked through the doors surrounded by the pack, her scent even more familiar. The scent from the woods.

He growled and Boyd turned to him, grabbing him by the arm before he lunged at her.

"What did you do? What did you do to him?!" He snarled, Boyd holding him back.

Karissa recoiled with an eyebrow raised and Isaac shook his head.

"Scott, just listen, okay?" He said, putting his hands up.

"To what? You can smell that on her! She did this!"

This time it was Deaton to speak up after seeing Boyd's eyes flash and his grip relax.

"Scott, Boyd… it's not what you think. She couldn't possibly have done this and before she explains let me tell you that she might be the only one who can save him." He said.

Scott stopped trying to leave Boyd's grip and ground his teeth together. He looked over at her and she seemed to relax a little, knowing that one wrong move and she could be dead. She was surrounded by an over-protective pack of werewolves.

"There's no 'might' about it…" She said, staring down at Stiles and walking slowly to his bedside.

The others stopped to watch her, one wrong move around Stiles and Derek wouldn't hesitate to tear her arm clean off.

She tilted her head as she sensed the air around her. She let everything around her soak in and reached out to him. She slowly extended her arm, looking back at Derek warily, before putting her hand on Stiles' shoulder.

"The only thing that could bring him back now is this ritual… if it even works." She smirked a little and surprisingly Erica was the one to growl first.

Scott shook his head. "If you can't help her we'll find someone or something else that can."

She let out a little laugh. "I'm not like you, I can sense things in the people around me and I know what I sense from him. Tell me, with your heightened werewolf senses, that this room doesn't _reek_ of death."

They all looked from one to another, Lydia and Allison exchanged a glance and Derek narrowed his eyes.

"That's what I thought." She folded her arms and stared back at them. "You know this won't be easy." She said, slightly annoyed.

"No one said it was going to be easy." Deaton said.

"Hey, you're the one who-" Scott started but Isaac stopped him, filling him in on all the things he and Boyd missed. Scott gave her a dark stare. "It's one of your kind doing this… what do we care if it's easy on you?"

"You can't force me to help him." She said.

"We can threaten to kill you, and carry through." Boyd said, folding his arms.

"You're a real big dude, do you know that?" Boyd snarled and she put her hands up in submission. "Right, real big werewolf dude, I get it."

"Can I just ask…" Lydia chimed in, her thinking face on. "What are the odds that there is only one of these Maeve things here in Beacon Hills? I mean, there can't be many like her and if you live in the proximity of another member of your kind wouldn't you know them, or at least know of them?"

"Me and my mother are _not_ killers. She gave it up when she had… me." She said, the last word catching in her throat.

"I'm not a werewolf but I can tell that something isn't right here." Lydia said.

Karissa was giving her a filthy stare and the rest of the pack looked to Derek and then to one another. "She knows. She has to." Isaac said.

"I know nothing." She hissed.

Derek stepped forward, his body only inches from hers as he stared down at her. "You keep bringing up the fact that we are werewolves so you should know that when someone is lying, we can hear the sound of their heartbeat rising."

"If I do this for him you owe me a debt." She said with a breath. "You can kill me now but he's going to die anyway."

"I will kill whoever did this to him." He breathed.

"Not if you don't know them. You'll kill me because he'll be dead or you can give me your word. You don't kill her for this or I will come back and make sure he dies too." She pointed to Stiles and Scott was ready to step forward but Isaac grabbed his arm.

"It's her sister. It has to be." He said.

She looked around Derek, breaking their eye contact and giving them all a glare. "She made the mistake of taking a life and became obsessed with the power. It's not hard to lose control of it." She looked to Jackson and grinned wickedly. "You've taken life before, I can feel it, I can still see the blood on your hands. Tell me you were in control of it, go ahead."

He swallowed hard and looked about ready to strangle her but he resisted without a word.

She sneered. "I thought so." She turned back to Derek who hadn't moved a muscle. "I want your word or I'll stand here and watch him slowly die I swear it to you."

"Do you really think you can trust me?" He said through gritted teeth.

She tilted her head. "I will come after him until you kill me yourself if you break that word. My mother would do the same and believe me; your little potion won't work so well on her. And I suggest you make up your mind soon because he is running out of time."

Derek thought for a moment.

"Don't do it Derek, you wanted it dead so it can't hurt anyone else." Boyd said.

"If he doesn't, Stiles will die." Allison said.

"If you don't make the vow he'll die and if you break it I promise to kill him as torturously as possible-" Her pupils turned to slits as she hissed the last word and Derek grabbed her by the throat.

"Do it. Do the ritual… and I won't touch her." He said before letting her go and she laughed.

"You have so much angst." She shook her head and he turned his back on her.

"But if he dies… so will she." He took a few steps away and turned back around.

She eyed him cautiously. "If you can find her." she held out her hand and Derek took it, squeezing particularly hard for their shake.

She turned back to Stiles and sighed. "From what I've heard this is going to hurt." She grunted.

"Please, just tell us what you need." Deaton said.

"Well for starters I need someone to watch the door." she said.

"I'll do it." Erica offered.

"What exactly do you have to do?" Jackson asked.

"We need to make a link. It'll be a blood link I'd say."

"_You'd say_?" Scott said.

"I told you I've never done this before, it's all rumour. Plus I'm not even fully matured so it might not even work out anyway." She shrugged.

"All we can do is try, Scott." Deaton said.

"I need a link, and then I recite the words, or a similar rendition. It's a ritual not a spell, it doesn't have to be exact because it's an offering." She said before looking up with a small smile. "And I'm going to need one of you to make the third link." They all looked at one another before her smile turned into a sneer. "I need someone who shares a bond with him, someone he loves and who loves him back."

They all looked up at Derek who stepped forward. Karissa let out a cackle of a laugh.

"You? Now Derek, I know that sounds like you but you have no idea how toxic you are." Her smile widened. "If you joined the link it would kill him faster than my sister already is. The ritual needs someone pure of heart, not someone tainted. You are a poison." She spat.

"Shut up and tell us what we need to do." Scott growled.

Derek stepped away and stared over at Stiles, wishing that he didn't already know how true her words were.

Karissa made a humming sound before running her tongue over her lips. "You… now you, I can work with." She smiled.

"Go." Isaac nudged him and Scott looked hesitant, afraid of making Derek seem small in front of his pack.

_Surely he couldn't think all of those things are true?_ Scott thought as he nodded. "What do you need?" He said flatly.

"Stand there." She pointed to the bedside and she walked around to the other. "Does anyone have a blade?"

Scott flashed one of his claws and she snickered.

"I'm not going to be interrupted am I?" She asked Derek callously.

"No." He said.

"Good, then I expect you to do everything that I tell you." She said to Scott. He nodded and she exhaled heavily. "How long before you'll heal?"

"I can hold it for a few seconds."

"The link will keep you bleeding, so long as you make it before you heal. You…" She looked to Boyd and nodded him over. "You make the cuts when I say."

"Gladly." He growled.

She looked down at Stiles' covered hand and looked up at Boyd again. "Can Mr Big please remove the cast?" she drawled.

Boyd narrowed his eyes but Scott nodded hurriedly. "Do it Boyd."

He reached down and tore open the plaster on his hand, trying to leave it on his injured wrist.

"That's perfect. I need you to make the cuts as I say, in order. You'll know." She said.

Boyd nodded, knowing that he needed to do this right if it was going to work.

She took her breaths, eyes closed, until she was ready. When she opened them, they were slits once again and her teeth had grown only slightly sharper. Her adolescent Maeve teeth sharp enough to pierce skin but without the deadly poison.

"_Conjunctio per amorem…_" She waved her hand to the gap between Stiles and Scott's hands.

Boyd sliced a long gash in Stiles' hand and then Scott's before she closed her fist and they pressed their blood marks together.

"What did she say?" Allison whispered under her breath and Lydia tilted her head with her mouth slightly parted.

"Joining the love…" She breathed.

"_Conjungit causam_…" Karissa held her hand out to Stiles and again Boyd sliced into his hand and then hers before connecting them to one another.

"The cause…" Lydia nodded to herself.

"_Fatum retorquentis_…" The last bond was between her and Scott.

"Fate?"

Boyd broke the skin and as they pressed their bloodied wounds together they both exhaled sharply, their chests rising and puffing out in front of them. Everyone almost stepped back at the sight. Scott panted hard, feeling like someone was dancing around in his chest. He only looked at Stiles still laying limp in the bed.

"_Damnicontrario…et libera meab eomorbo_…" She gasped and tensed the hand that held Stiles' so tightly.

"Reverse… take his… ills?" Lydia said, knowing only enough Latin to help her fill in the blanks her actions left.

She bit down on her lip as she felt the damage and destruction that had ravaged his insides soak through and into her arm, extending into her body through their linked hands. She felt it squeezing her chest, her heart, and excruciatingly claw at her from the inside out.

It moved through her and down her right arm. When she felt it nearing her link with Scott she managed to choke out the next incantation.

"_Sitmendaciumfidemcum dilectione_…" It hit the link and it was Scott's turn to recoil in pain.

"Love becomes his protection…"

He could feel the poison burning inside him and his brow began to sweat as he felt it make its way further inside of him, trying to take hold.

"You have to fight it off… it's the only way to protect him. If you don't, he'll take it back and that will be the end of the game." Karissa said, sweating and trying not to keel over from the pain that had just left her.

Scott fought hard against it but he could feel it winning, drawing in close to his heart. "How?" She said, spitting through his clenched jaw.

"Protect him… _prótegam eum…_" She hissed.

Scott didn't know how, he didn't know how to keep it from passing through him and returning to Stiles. He felt like his insides were tearing apart and he let out an agonised cry.

"Scott…" Isaac whimpered.

He wouldn't give up, he couldn't. He thought of all the reasons why he could beat this thing. It was darkness, a sickness. It was something that could only come from something with evil buried inside of it. He knew in his heart that he held no capacity to hold that in his body. He couldn't survive with something so malevolent inside him.

"_Suscípietfratrem tuum_…"

Lydia sighed, a tear falling from her eye. "Protect your brother…" She breathed.

Scott gnashed his teeth together and strained his body harder than he ever thought he would. He would not let this get back to Stiles or he would die trying to keep it away. The darkness wrapped its tendrils around his heart with such scorching pain that he thought he might not survive it until the warmth and goodness he held inside of him made that darkness recoil and shrivel. He gasped painfully as it released his heart and almost melted down through his body until all he could feel was a dull pulsing through his veins.

"_Ignosce mihisororum_…" Karissa said softly before she released the hands and Scott did the same, stepping back and leaning on one of the chairs.

Karissa slumped on the floor, breathing hard.

"Did it work?" Erica asked instantly.

"We'll only know if he wakes up." Karissa breathed.

"How long will that be?" Jackson said.

"I don't know."

"What did you do to me?" Scott asked, still panting.

"She forced you to protect him like a brother would." Lydia piped up.

"You must have been willing to die for him…" Karissa eyes him strangely.

"Is he going to wake up?" Isaac repeated.

Karissa looked at him with her strange bright eyes. "Only time will tell."


	24. Chapter 24

It was about twenty minutes later that Scott received a text from his mom saying the sheriff was on his way back up. The room had just stopped spinning for him and Karissa wasn't looking too flash either.

"His dad's coming back." He muttered, standing up out of his chair with a wobble. "I don't know what happened here but should I still be feeling this… _this_?"

Karissa sighed with a bland look on her face. "Apparently. Maybe it didn't work, maybe we're dying with him."

"Don't say that." Isaac shook his head. "The good things never happen when you say it but bad things always do."

"What, do you believe in karma?" Jackson asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I didn't believe in werewolves or kanimas or Maeves either." He said.

"Good call." Jackson conceded.

"Look, how long is this supposed to take?" Lydia asked impatiently.

"Why? You got somewhere else to be princess?" Karissa smirked.

Lydia narrowed her eyes sharply. "What I want is for him to get better and for you to leave."

"I'll gladly be gone… when I can walk without needing to vomit." She said.

"Hey… the scratches are gone." Allison pointed to Stiles' palm as she tried to hide the damage they had done to his cast.

Everyone looked over and Derek walked away from his wall and gently turned up his palm. "This one too." He muttered.

It was like the mood in the room lifted almost instantly. They all suddenly felt hopeful for his recovery.

"I believe the words are 'thank you' in case you were wondering." Karissa smirked again.

A collective sigh went around the room and Derek looked her right in the eye. "Thank you." He said.

The two shared a momentary eye contact before she nodded. "Pleasure."

Neither had forgotten he bargain that they had made. Karissa performed the ritual to save Stiles and Derek wasn't to kill her sister. That didn't mean that he wouldn't find her and threaten to do so.

"Really, thank you." Scott said as he walked shakily over to the bed and put a hand on Stiles' arm.

He felt a jolt come off him and stepped back, staring down a little taken aback.

"What happened?" Allison asked.

"He… didn't you feel that? He shocked me." Scott said.

"It's not a shock." Karissa said, pushing herself off the floor and getting to her rather unbalanced feet. "It's a bond."

"Here we go…" Boyd shook his head.

"Relax, it's nothing sinister or life changing. The two of you are just… connected now. Like blood brothers I guess but you'll have this kind of… I don't know, humans call it a sixth sense but that's not really what it is either."

"Well spit it out then." Lydia said.

Karissa shrugged. "You were his protector and now that bond is sealed. If he needs protecting you'll get this pull, it'll be the same the other way too, as far as I'm aware."

"He is totally going to hate that." Scott smiled a little.

"You're also immune."

"What?" Scott asked.

"To me, or any of my kind. You and him. It's the sacrifice I get for saving him. I betrayed my sister, my ancestors and so it's a punishment I guess. If you believe in that stuff. I can already feel it niggling away inside of me." She folded her arms and sighed just as the sheriff came back through the door.

He stopped to look at them all a moment. "This is a pretty crowded room… I didn't think Stiles had so many friends." He tried to chuckle a little but he was still under the impression that Stiles was getting worse rather than better.

"We're just going Mr Stilinski, you probably need some time." Allison said with a warm smile.

The sheriff returned one as best he could and most of them flooded out of the room and into the hall, Scott stayed back for a few minutes, just thinking.

"Well, I think I'm going to go." Karissa said, stretching out. "Hate to save a life and run but-"

"You're not leaving until we know for sure that he's going to live." Erica growled and Isaac stood by her side.

"Can't you see the signs? He healed the link marks and his body will be recovering on the inside because there's no poison killing him from the inside out." She gave them a smile but Erica just narrowed her eyes.

"Let her go." Derek said forcefully.

They all turned to stare at him.

"You're joking right?" Erica said.

Derek shook his head. "There's no reason for her to stay now."

"He's still lying there in a coma." She hissed.

"And so was Isaac, and you weren't so conscious after you were bitten either. You saw Scott's reaction and he has no reason to deceive us. He's one of us."

"Not really." Erica mumbled.

Derek looked over at Karissa who was giving him a waiting stare. "Go."

"Don't think this means I like you, but I have no reason to hurt you or any of your pack." She said, for the first time quite sincerely.

Derek held out his hand for her to shake and she did, before giving Erica one last glare and disappearing down the hall.

"You think that's the last we'll see of her?" Boyd asked.

"God I hope so." Isaac said. "I was really starting to get tired of her crap."

Derek sent most of the pack home overnight, and yes, that meant that most of them had migrated to his place. Like a giant baby-werewolf slumber party. He stayed back at the hospital with Scott and the sheriff, sleeping in the chairs in Stiles' room. Only he didn't sleep, he was awake and watching, hoping that he would begin to stir or that he would show some sign of recovery.

There was no doubt that something had happened in the room tonight. There had been some kind of supernatural forces acting and for the first time he actually prayed that it would work. Probably an odd practice for a werewolf but his mother had made them say grace before dinner, when she remembered. She had wanted him to grow up with those ideals and staring down at Stiles now he wished she hadn't.

A part of him wanted to be selfish, but he had done that enough. Humans and werewolves just don't mix. Not like this.

The next morning both he and Scott woke suddenly to Melissa's quiet hissing.

"Hey!"

"Mom… what…?" Scott said, rubbing his eyes.

"His heart sounds are stronger today, lungs are sounding a lot better." She smiled down at them and Scott's face lit up in a wide goofy grin.

He couldn't believe that it was actually working. Derek's demure smile just lingered over Stiles lying in the bed and his whole body seemed to relax a little, but only for a moment.

"I guess that means you want _me_ to call the pack?" Scott said, looking at Derek expectantly.

"If you want." Scott raised an eyebrow but left the room to make some calls anyway.

"His dad's out updating the case files." Melissa gave Derek a parting smile as she headed out to add to her own files.

Derek stood up slowly and walked over to Stiles' side, taking his good hand and sitting by him, bringing his fingers to his lips. He kissed them hard, closing his eyes and breathing in his scent. The room no longer smelt like death and Derek knew that meant he was healing. In a day or two he would probably wake up. He might need longer to recover than Isaac had, or Erica, but the reality of it was that he _was _healing.

He brushed away his hair with his hand, stopping only to cup his beautiful cheekbones in his palm. He leant over to peck his lips and then his cheeks, resting his forehead on Stiles'.

"I won't let you get hurt again Stiles. I won't put you in danger any more. You're not going to like it but you'll have to understand it." He whispered.

He almost uttered those three little words but held his tongue, knowing it would only make it worse. He never should have said them in the first place. He sighed, placing another little kiss on his lips before getting up, dropping his hand and leaving the room without another word.

**Two Days Later**

Scott was on his way into the hospital. His mother had ordered him home on the account that he had barely spent a waking – or sleeping – moment outside of its walls in a week. She promised to call if there was any more news on Stiles who had been improving dramatically over the last twenty-four hours.

They took out the tube in his throat after he almost choked on it, in a good way of course, it meant he was breathing by himself. That was last night and Scott had just got a message from his mother saying that he should be there as soon as possible.

He walked through the front doors and made his way up the all too familiar path to his ward and down to his room. When he opened the doors his heart began to soar as he watched the sheriff practically suffocating his son with his arms. Stiles didn't protest though, he had no idea how long he had been out of it but he knew that it wouldn't take much to rattle his dad. He hated hospitals, always had.

"Scott," the sheriff greeted him warmly as he came in, a smile finally tattooed to his face for the first time in a week.

Scott just grinned down at Stiles who tilted his head to the side and leant on his shoulder. "What? Don't I get a hug from you?" He croaked, his voice sore from having had a plastic tube shoved down there for so long.

Scott smiled, same old Stiles. "I think I'll give you a cool down period first."

Stiles tried to laugh but it was way too painful so he settled for another smile. "Is Derek here?" He asked.

"Uh… no, no he's not here… I mean he didn't come here with me anyway if that's what you mean." Scott said.

Stiles gave him a funny look but his dad cut in.

"I'm sure he'll get here, you just keep your mouth shut until that throat heals." He said.

Stiles gave him a little salute and the sheriff chuckled. "God, I never thought I'd miss you so much you sarcastic little brat." He grinned and hugged him tightly again.

It hurt, actually Stiles felt more pain than he was letting on but he didn't want his dad to stop. He just looked so happy.

It took a long time before the sheriff stopped squeezing him, the only reason he did was to sign a form to say that Stiles would be released the following afternoon, providing he get lots of rest.

"So… what happened exactly?" Stiles asked when it was just him and Scott.

"Dude, trust me, I should probably explain it when you're completely lucid." He smiled and Stiles cocked an eyebrow.

"Lucid? Since when do you use non-simple words?" He winced a little at his throat and tried to pretend that he hadn't.

"I'm allowed to want a better vocabulary aren't I?"

"SAT's?"

"Yeah." Stiles tried to laugh but it hurt far too much and he resented it.

"So… why did you sound so weird before?" Stiles asked.

"Stiles, I try not to spend so much time with him so I don't know where he is." Stiles didn't quite trust him but he wasn't going to push it, his throat hurt enough anyway.

Besides, Derek would be there soon, obviously. He thought back to when he had been beaten by Gerard. Derek was there even though they had been arguing with each other, and it had only been a few days that time… from Stiles' groggy memory. This time… he had no idea.

Scott said it was almost a week and Stiles felt a little gipped about losing that much of his precious teenage life because of some dumb creature. He asked Scott about it again but he insisted on telling him when he got home.

It was at that point that he totally wished he had werewolf super-healing right now because he felt pretty damn crappy.

"I'm just so glad you're okay, for a while there it was looking pretty… you know." Scott said.

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, I got that from the way you all reacted when I woke up this morning. By the way my wrist is killing me; they had to reset it for some reason. I guess I got an intern doing my cast."

Scott chuckled a little. "Yeah, that's actually a long story. You should probably quit talking before your dad gets back in here." Stiles rolled his eyes and Scott checked his pockets as his phone vibrated from a text. "It's Isaac, he's come in to see you."

Stiles gave him the thumbs up as the sheriff came back in with the doctor. He was giving him another full check-up. They hadn't thought he was going to make a recovery so quickly so the guy in charge of his case was personally seeing to him.

"I'll go get lunch with Isaac and we'll come up later." Scott said and smiled at the sheriff before heading out.

He was ridiculously happy and Scott couldn't help but feel the same way. He was alive, and for now he was going to stay alive. That was enough to keep him happy for the rest of the week, the year even.

He headed down to the bottom floor to meet Isaac who was leaning against the wall near the cafeteria.

"Hey." He called and Scott gave him a grin.

"He's back, same old sarcastic Stiles."

Isaac laughed, "He was poisoned, he didn't have his personality switched. You want to walk?" He pointed down one of the halls.

"You're not hungry?"

Isaac shook his head. "Not really, they don't have what I want."

"Well what do you want?" Scott asked as they started walking down the empty corridor.

"I don't know, I was thinking Mexican."

"That does sound good." Scott agreed.

His mind was running through so many things. He was so happy to have Stiles back and he didn't even care that there was another Maeve on the loose. And then there was Isaac… he didn't really know how he felt about Isaac. They had been there for one another over the last week and Scott was starting to get that feeling that there was a hell of a lot more to this than just a one off kiss. Actually, two kisses, but Isaac couldn't remember the one from before his attack and if Scott was honest it was a hell of a lot more than just a kiss.

At the time he had pushed him away, tried to pretend that there was nothing going on but as he watched Isaac now, one curl hanging down almost in his eyes, sucking on his bottom lip and bobbing his head as he walked, he felt his stomach flip.

"Hey Scott, can I tell you something?" Isaac looked up and those big blue eyes made Scott's heart beat a little faster.

In a second he smiled and grabbed him by the sides of his head and pulled him in to lock their lips together in a hot, fiery embrace. Isaac fell back against the wall in shock, he hadn't seen that coming. He wouldn't have predicted that either.

Not that it mattered, his tongue was begging permission to get behind Scott's teeth and he let him… very enthusiastically. His hands were now tangled in Isaac's curls and Isaac's hands reached out to pull Scott in by the hips.

Scott pulled back and stared at him, panting hard.

"You don't even know what I was going to say." He grinned and Scott laughed before looking up and down the hall.

He grabbed Isaac by the shirt and pulled him towards an empty room and shutting the door behind them. The second he heard the click he slammed Isaac up against it and continued to assault him with his tongue.

He parted his lips and Isaac's teeth clamped down roughly on his bottom lip, eliciting a groan and a grind of his hips. It was Isaac's turn to let out a moan and he pulled his lips away to nibble at Scott's lopsided jaw. He spun them around to pin Scott to the door and pressed his now rock hard cock against his hip and left large quickly fading hickeys on his neck.

Scott was panting in his ear and it was driving him wild. He had been waiting so long to taste his lips again, to taste the salty sweet skin of his neck and feel the hardness of his body against his with nowhere to move in between.

He felt his body throbbing as Scott's hands roamed down to his belt and started to undo the buckle. He pulled his lips away and returned the favour, unzipping his jeans and sliding his hand inside and rubbing Scott through his boxers. He let out a gasp and thrust his own hand into Isaac's pants, this time bypassing the underwear and taking hold of his stiff member.

Isaac grunted and his grip tightened around Scott before he pulled down the underwear to make bare contact with the sensitive skin.

They both pumped their arms as they struggled to stay upright, grunting and groaning in one another's ears. Isaac's tongue grazed Scott's lip and he growled, eyes flashing golden and Isaac's did the same.

"Oh… Fuck, Isaac… I'm… I'm going to…" Scott breathed as he tugged faster and Isaac closed his eyes.

"Me too…" He said in barely a breath.

Isaac's claws were threatening to extend but he controlled it, moaning sharply in Scott's ear as he drew impossibly close to release. Scott's entire body shuddered as he came, his hand tensing and Isaac leant his forehead against his shoulder as he violently erupted into his boxers.

The two let the convulsions subside before taking their hands away. Isaac stumbled back and leant against the wall opposite. Scott slumped by the door and exhaled hard.

"You know we should probably get out of here before someone walks in." Isaac grinned.

"Yeah… yeah just give me a minute." Scott panted and Isaac laughed.

"Okay, but just this once."

Stiles stayed in hospital for the rest of the day and well into the next morning. The pack came by to see him and Lydia gave him a big kiss on the cheek, making him silently blush.

There was still no sign of Derek.

It made Stiles' stomach feel queasy and he refused his food, which was absolutely disgusting anyway. _Why wasn't he here_? He thought.

In the afternoon he was free to leave, so long as he took his anti-inflammatory meds and didn't stress out his throat or wrist. He swore he would do both when he saw Derek. He'd yell a fair few things his way and probably try to strangle him.

Where the fuck was Derek?

When he got home his dad said he's make some soup for dinner, and by 'make' he meant he'd throw a tin of Campbell's into a pot and heat it up but Stiles was okay with that. He headed up to his room and collapsed in his bed and felt so glad to be back.

He landed on his wrist because he had already forgotten about the break and he clutched it for a few moments but after that he just seemed to drift off to sleep.

He woke a few hours later to Scott shaking his feet. He tried to shoo him away but he just sat down and gave him a cheeky smile.

"What are you so happy about?" Stiles asked.

"Nothing, just happy to have you back."

Stiles grumbled. "Yeah, yeah, the human survived, I know. It's a miracle."

"It actually kind of is." Scott said as he recounted the full story about the Maeve and about Karissa.

Stiles hadn't thought about her in a long time, actually, he only really saw her as the reason he had gotten into that big spat with Derek. Well, one of their big spats, they seem to have them frequently.

He almost couldn't believe the whole thing. It was so surreal.

But, if werewolves exist then god knows what else does.

"Damn, I can't believe you did that for me." Stiles said.

"Yeah, well, I guess you owe me now." Scott chuckled.

"So… can you please tell me where Derek is now? Like seriously, what the fuck is going on?" Stiles said, getting frustrated.

Scott sighed. "Stiles, calm down or you're going to hurt yourself, I'm sure he's-"

"Okay, I'm not an invalid even though I just got supernaturally slammed and sound like a seventy year old chain smoker but I'm not a fucking idiot." He said painfully and Scott looked away. "Where. Is. Derek?"

Scott looked up at him with a sigh. "I haven't seen him Stiles, no one has in days."

"What the hell are you saying?"

Scott shook his head. "I'm saying he's gone, Derek's gone."


	25. Chapter 25

"He's what?!" Stiles said forcefully.

"Okay, Stiles, just calm down. All I know is that he's just kind of… well I mean he's disappeared." Scott said, not helping one little bit.

"Well why would he do that? He said-" Stiles cut short, thinking maybe he had imagined the 'I love you' that he heard escape Derek's trembling lips. "He wouldn't just leave."

"I know, I know, Boyd and Jackson are trying to figure it out now. Erica's trying to put off calling Peter." Scott said.

Stiles shook his head. No, he couldn't just get up and leave. That's not what Derek does. _He did run away from everything after his family_. He thought. Then again he knew that Stiles was getting better so why would he leave?

"He… I mean I don't know him like you, but maybe Karissa got to him." Scott said.

"What do you mean? What did she do?" Stiles asked, his throat really starting to hurt now.

"Well… she just kind of… I mean she may have called him toxic or something to that degree." Scott winced a little and Stiles groaned.

"Yeah… he thinks that this is his fault, I bet."

"Well it kind of is, I mean he should have told you and Lydia and-"

"None of this is his fault. Don't blame him." Stiles snapped.

He had no idea where his phone was and started to get cranky.

"Okay, sorry, I'm just saying he shouldn't have let-"

"Scott, I would have gone alone if he had tried to keep me out of it. It's not his fault, it's my own, but he's dealt with enough guilt and he thinks he's doing the best thing." He grunted again knowing that Derek was running because he had said that he loved him and that he feels responsible for almost killing him.

He will never back down from a physical confrontation; he doesn't run from danger or from fear. He runs from anything that makes him care because he's already lost too many things that he blames himself for and he doesn't want to lose another one.

Derek thought that Stiles was the one who knew nothing about him but he was so wrong. Stiles could pick up on things too. He loved Derek and now he knew that he loved him back he was determined to find him.

"Where the fuck is my phone!" He tried to yell but clutched at his throat and winced hard.

"Stiles, you left it with Erica remember? It was totally screwed up from the water." Scott said and Stiles' heart sunk.

_Crap_. He thought.

"I'll go and get the card off Jackson and we'll find you a new phone if you want." Scott offered.

Stiles just nodded and sat down on the bed, finally starting to think that he shouldn't be talking.

"What's going on up here?" The sheriff stepped in through the opened door and looked from on to the other.

"Oh… Stiles was just being stubborn, I think I should probably let him rest." Scott said.

"Stiles, don't hurt yourself more than you already are." He dad said with a shake of his head.

Stiles nodded a silent 'fine' and lay himself down on his bed.

"Is he alright? I mean other than the throat and the wrist and all?" he whispered to Scott with worry in his eyes.

"Yeah. He's fine. He's just a bit cranky I think." He lied. "I'll see you later." He waved to Stiles and the sheriff clapped him on the back.

"Thanks Scott." He smiled back before heading out to find Jackson.

"Well maybe he's just sick of you lot hanging around here!" Isaac snapped as the frustration at not finding Derek had them all on edge.

"Hey, he has to feed and clothe you like a little kid, maybe he's just done with having to do that!" Erica snarled.

"It's probably because he's stuck listening to the two of you bicker!" Jackson said.

"Would all of you just shut up? This isn't some crappy stupid reason, this is Derek and he'll have a damn good reason for it." Boyd said, making them all shake their heads and sigh.

"I agree." They all spun around to see Scott standing in the doorway. "By the way Jackson I need Stiles' phone card."

"We checked his house right? In the woods?" Erica asked.

"Obviously, yes." Isaac said.

"I'll get it from Lydia tonight." Jackson said. "It doesn't matter where we look, he's an alpha and if he doesn't want to be found then he's not going to be found."

"You know, I hate to admit it but I actually think he's right." Isaac said.

"So what the hell do we do?" Boyd said with a grunt.

"Actually I think we're left with the last resort option." Isaac sighed.

"And what's that? Just ignore the problem until it goes away?" Erica snapped.

"No, I think we need to call Peter." Isaac said.

Everyone let out groans. That really was the last resort.

"Do you really think he'll know anything? Derek hates that guy." Jackson said.

"Well, a few weeks ago I overheard them talking down here while I was upstairs. I think Peter was trying to convince him to leave Beacon Hills."

"What?" Boyd asked. "Why would he ask that?"

"He wanted to be like family again, to leave the place behind and leave- and leave his trigger behind too because it was going to destroy him sooner or later." Isaac sighed.

"Peter doesn't care about anyone but himself. I don't buy his family crap. I mean come on, didn't he kill his own niece?" Erica asked.

"Yeah, he killed Derek's sister Laura before he even came back. He only came back here because he hadn't heard from her." Scott clarified.

"Damn…" Jackson said.

"He got back and he heard the police had found half of a woman's body and so he searched the woods until he found her and then he buried her by the house."

"She's not still buried there is she?" Jackson asked.

"No, me and Stiles kind of dug her up." Scott said, realising that it sounded pretty damn awful in the current context.

"Dude, that's a little creepy." Jackson said.

"Hey, at the time we thought Derek was the crazy psycho killer, not his uncle. Besides, he buried her in a spiral of wolfs bane. You know, symbol for revenge?"

"That doesn't mean that he would never leave with Peter, he's the only family he has left." Boyd said.

"So that's it then, we have to call Peter." Erica shook her head, very clearly not impressed.

"There's got to be another option." Jackson grumbled. "I hate that guy."

"Whatever the options are I think we should just leave Stiles alone until his throat heals, because you know him, he'll never shut up." Scott said.

"So he'll have no Derek, no friends and no voice. That sounds a little cruel." Erica said.

"Since when do you care?" Jackson asked.

"He saved my life which is more than I can say for any of you." She snapped.

"Hey, we went out and collected you from the woods after _he_ hid you somewhere impossible to find." Jackson pointed to himself and Boyd.

"Well it'd better that no one found me than if that thing found me. She's still out there by the way. I would have healed even if I wasn't in the hospital." She said.

"Can we try not to fight among ourselves please?" Scott said. "I think he needs some time with his dad anyway, we sort of took over the hospital for a while there."

"He's got a point." Boyd agreed.

"So then we'll call Peter, what's the worst thing that could come out of that?" Isaac said.

"He'd want to stick around to 'help'?" Jackson said.

"Please, if he's not with Derek then he's probably glad he's gone." Erica rolled her eyes.

Jackson left shortly after to get Stiles' phone off Lydia. Erica and Boyd went out to the woods to check at Derek's old house again. Scott didn't think it would do any of them any good but it made them feel a little better to have double checked.

It left Isaac and Scott alone at Derek's loft, trying to think of a way to call Peter and ask him about Derek without giving him the upper hand. Isaac however was a little distracted.

His eyes followed Scott around the loft as he paced back and forth. He bit down on his bottom lip thinking about the day before and how he wanted more of him. Isaac could feel himself getting slightly more restricted in his jeans and Scott swallowed hard.

"Isaac, I think you should focus on this and not… other things." He said, trying to avoid his eyes as the smell of Isaac's arousal flooded the room.

Isaac's mind was invaded with many other things and he smiled arrogantly as Scott looked increasingly more uncomfortable.

"Isaac…" He said, trying not to imagine the feel of his lips against his skin.

Isaac stood up and walked over to Scott who turned around and backed up. "Why shouldn't I?"

"We've got to figure this out and you're not helping." Scott backed up further, bumping into the wall. "Seriously Isaac, this isn't a good idea."

Isaac smiled. "You don't want to?"

"No." Scott said, his heartbeat pumping faster for a moment.

"Really? So you don't want me to get any closer?" Isaac said and Scott shook his head. "Are you saying that yesterday wasn't good for you?"

Scott bit his lip and swallowed while Isaac just smirked. His eyes trailed slowly down to Scott's mouth, his tongue wetting his lips and making Isaac's body throb.

"If you are then you're a dirty rotten liar." He grinned as his hands roughly grabbed Scott's belt, unbuckling it and pulling it from the loops.

Scott's jaw dropped slightly and Isaac's gaze was strong, his lips pulled up in a half smile as he slowly dropped to his knees. Scott's breathing got deeper and he tilted his head back. Isaac pushed up the hem of his shirt, his palms grazing Scott's taut stomach before his lips pressed against it.

His tongue ran down from below his navel until it reached the button on his jeans. He looked up to see Scott with his parted lips pressing himself back against the wall with his eyes closed. He grinned again as he gave the jeans a tug and the button popped, making it easier to slip down the zipper.

With a quick yank Scott's jeans were falling down around his ankles. The bulge in his boxers had grown substantially and Isaac lowered them just enough to slide his tongue down his V lines, making Scott's breathing get even louder.

One of his hands left the wall and grabbed Isaac's hair, making him growl seductively.

"You still want me to back off?" Isaac laughed and Scott looked down with glowing yellow eyes.

They were hungry, needy, he wanted Isaac to keep going and if he tried to stop he probably wouldn't let him. Isaac had no intention of stopping.

He slowly removed Scott's boxers, his cock standing to attention as Isaac licked his lips. His hands locked on the back of Scott's thighs as he let this tongue very gently caress the tip, making him close his eyes with a choked moan.

His lips covered him, sucking softly and Scott threw back his head.

"_Shit_…" He breathed and Isaac took more and more of him in until his lips were bracing and Scott was halted at the back of his throat.

His other hand locked itself in Isaac's hair and he slowly guided his lips back and forth, giving him gentle pumps of his hips.

Isaac pulled back and looked up. "You don't need to restrain yourself, I can handle it." He said through his panting.

Scott nodded and when he wrapped his lips around again Scott pulled him in harder, drawing a moan from the both of them. The vibrations from Isaac's throat made Scott gasp and he felt a familiar blissful pressure building inside him.

"_Isaac_…" He huffed.

He didn't stop, even when Scott tried to pull him back, he just swirled his tongue around the tip and Scott let out a strangled groan.

"Isaac… _stop_…" He said, not meaning it at all.

He knew what that meant and he sped up his pace, making Scott's groans get sharper and faster, louder, and his grip in Isaac's hair tightened until he couldn't hold it in any more.

His elated groan echoed through the loft as he came, Isaac taking it in and swallowing it until he felt Scott's shaking legs start to give out.

He pulled away and wiped his mouth as he stood up to face Scott, who had beads of sweat on his brow and his eyes still closed.

"See, now wasn't that a welcome distraction?" He grinned and Scott laughed.

He opened his eyes and shook his head, reaching down to pull his jeans back on. "Yeah, but we're supposed to be focussing." He smiled.

Isaac shrugged. "One little moment of lapse isn't going to change things."

Scott gave him another smile before leaning in to kiss his lips gently. Isaac slipped his hands around Scott's waist as their lips parted with one another to let the kiss deepen.

"I don't know what this means." Scott said as he tore his lips away.

Isaac's head leant against Scott's and he looked down into his eyes. "Well, I think you know how I feel."

"Do I?"

"I care about you… a lot." He said, exposing more than he already had.

"I care about _you_." Scott said.

"So why do we have to try and label anything?" He shrugged. "I mean, I really… you…" He couldn't quite think of the words to say.

What was he supposed to say? I love you? He couldn't just come out and say it. It was the truth but Scott didn't love him back, that much he knew.

And Scott didn't love him, he cared about Isaac, like he said, but things were more complicated for him. He still had Allison to think about and Isaac knew that she played a part in it all too.

Isaac sighed. "Just… just don't worry about it." He unlocked himself from Scott's arms and pulled away.

"You're thinking about Allison aren't you?" He said.

"You're in love with her Scott. I don't know how that could never figure into this." He tried not to let the hurt show on his face so he turned away from him.

"It does, but she hasn't even sent me a message since we broke up, let alone given me any clue that she might still want me. I've kind of started trying to stop thinking about her."

"How's that going for you?" Isaac said a little bitterly.

"Actually… thinking about you makes it easier." Scott shuffled his feet a little and Isaac turned back to face him.

"Yeah?"

Scott nodded. "I like you Isaac, I mean, you know, I like you, it's just that I've never wanted something like _this_ before."

Isaac shrugged again. "How about we just do whatever feels right? You know, in the moment."

Scott smiled, "yeah, yeah I like that."

Isaac felt his heart give a little flutter and bit his lip.

Their moment was ruined when Scott's phone started to go off in his pocket. He rummaged around for it and looked at the caller ID.

"It's Erica." He said and pressed the green answer button. "What's going on?"

Erica and Boyd had gone down to the old house in the woods in search of Derek. Boyd was sceptical but Erica was still determined to find him.

"I don't know why you expect this to be any different than last time." Boyd said.

"I don't, but I can't just do nothing." She said as she walked over some branches and into the clearing before the house. "Derek!" She yelled.

"Hey, why do you have to do that?" Boyd asked.

"Derek if you're there I'm serious, you better come out here right now!"

"Yeah, that's going to work." Boyd shook his head.

"Well what's your great idea?" she hissed, throwing up her arms.

"You know that you only got out of hospital a few days ago. You sure you're up to this?" She gave him a dark stare and he rolled his eyes. "Well fine, but that still doesn't help us finding Derek."

"So that's what the two of you are doing out here, all alone." They spun around to see Peter standing smugly with his hands in his pockets.

"Where is he?" Erica growled, trying to storm over to him but Boyd held her back.

"Erica!" He said.

Peter's brow furrowed and he tilted his head. "Is he missing? Funny, I hadn't noticed."

Erica broke free from Boyd and gave Peter a look. "I'm calling Scott." She said, pulling out her phone.

Peter nodded and went on just casually looking around at the forest, smiling up at the tops of the trees. Boyd raised an eyebrow at him; he had never experienced such a strange little man.

Scott answered the phone on the fifth ring. "What's going on?"

"Peter's here, and he'll probably want to talk to you, so…" She held out the phone to him and he walked over slowly to take it.

"Hello, is this Scott?" He said and Erica's nostrils flared wildly.

"You know it is. Where's Derek?" He said.

Erica and Boyd had their ears trained in to the conversation. "I'm afraid you won't be seeing him for a while, a long while if I'm not mistaken."

"What have you done?"

"He's finally come to his senses and left that pathetic little trigger of his. I think we both know that it is what's best for the both of them."

"No it's not. Derek wouldn't just leave his pack." Scott growled.

"No? He's an alpha, he can find another pack if he wants to, and this time it won't be a bunch of obnoxious teenagers."

"You forget that you're the one who turned me."

"Yes, when I was half way out of my mind." Peter smiled.

"You're still half way out of your mind." Peter chuckled and shook his head.

"We're leaving Beacon Hills Scott, there's nothing you can do to change it. You might want to tell Stiles that Derek sends his apologies but these things don't last forever."

Scott and Isaac gave each other nervous looks, as did Boyd and Erica. "Why?" Scott asked.

"Well because this place is a prison, and Derek needs to get out of here and start fresh Besides, one or more of you would probably end up dead if he stayed, death seems to chase him around when he's here."

"If you're leaving with him then why are you here?" Erica called, shaking her head.

"To give you all a message. Stop looking for him, he's moving on. Now it's been nice chatting to you Scott but I have some packing to do." He hung up the phone and threw it back to Erica. "Sorry to disappoint you." He gave her a little smile that contradicted his apology.

Erica growled but Boyd held her back as Peter turned to walk away, his smile growing even more with every step he took.

"Let me go." She said.

"He's not worth it." Boyd said and Erica stopped struggling.

"So that's it huh? He's just gone?" She asked.

"I guess so." Boyd said with a sigh.

Scott hung up the phone after hearing the tone and put the phone back into his pocket.

"Did… did he just say that Derek's leaving Beacon Hills?" Isaac asked.

"I think so."

"So what does that mean?" Isaac said, starting to get worried.

"I don't know, but I do know that telling Stiles is going to harder than anything else." Scott sighed and Isaac reached out to him.

Scott let him take him in his arms and they stood there holding one another while he wondered how the hell he was going to tell Stiles.

"Hello, Derek? Uh, it's me. I was just… I mean where are you? Look, I know I've called a few times already and left a few messages but I just want to know what's going on here. Um, call me when you get this, please? Uh, it's Stiles… but you knew that… I –"

Derek sighed as he deleted another message from his phone. He turned it off and put it down on the cold hard bench as he put his head in his hand.

"Are you still ignoring him then?" Deaton asked as he shifted his glasses on his nose.

"It's better for both of us." Derek said stoically.

"Are you sure?"

Derek sighed, no he wasn't sure. Of course he wasn't sure, but he knew that he couldn't keep putting Stiles in danger and he would rather sacrifice his own happiness than see him die.

"Yes."

"And the rest of your pack?"

"This is something that you and me need to do, not them. Two of them have already been in the hospital so I need to sort this out before one of them dies." He grunted. "Are you almost finished?"

"Very nearly…" Deaton said as he poured a few drops into a vial. "You should give them more credit Derek."

"I don't want one of them dead. Better me than them." He said with a dark look in his eyes.

"So are you going to tell them what you're doing?"

"I'm not leaving them for good. Just until we get rid of this Maeve."

"Well, I do have to say that I admire your nobility." Deaton said.

The two were working together to get rid of Karissa's sister without killing her. He had given her his word, and killing her would without doubt make her come after Stiles directly. He couldn't have that.

So for now he would avoid the pack and sort this out, and he and Stiles couldn't be together if he wanted to keep him safe. He had no idea that Peter was feeding them lies, or his reasons for doing so.

Deaton had been sworn to secrecy, admitting that this creature was better dealt with subtly. It was even possible that Karissa had found her and warned her. Either way this was going to be over before he saw them again.

Derek knew that Stiles was going to call again, and it took all of his willpower not to call him back. _This is for his safety, I'm nothing but a dangerous liaison for him._ Derek thought.

"Well then, shall we get started?" Deaton asked.

Derek looked up and nodded. "Let's get this done."


	26. Chapter 26

** A/N: I know things look hopeless for them now, but sometimes you have to deal with the bad things before they can get better. They love each other, you have to know that much.**

_One Week Later_

Stiles had spent the week hanging out with his dad while his throat recovered. He had to get his cast changed yesterday because the stitches in his wrist were due to come out but otherwise he was much better. His dad even let him have some whiskey, said it would be good for his throat.

It was nice to spend time with his dad; it took his mind of the things that were worrying him most. Number one was Derek. According to Scott, he had left Beacon Hills for good with Peter. You could have knocked Stiles over with a feather when he told him.

"No, no he wouldn't. He would never leave with him." He had protested.

"Look, Peter came by and told us-"

"Well he's a liar!"

"Well have you heard from Derek since you woke up?" Scott had said.

He was sitting in his room, just thinking about it and staring at his phone to see if Derek would call and trying to stop himself from sending another text. The last one he sent was yesterday.

After spending the last week off, his dad was now back to work and he was all alone in the big empty house. He heard a knock on the door downstairs and sighed.

For a moment he thought it could be Derek, but Derek would never just knock on the door. He got off his bed and headed out of his room and down the stairs to answer it.

As he opened the door he saw Erica standing on the porch and she turned to him with a smile. He tried to return it but somehow he knew that it wasn't quite sincere.

"Hi Stiles."

"Hey Erica, what are you doing here?" He said as he stepped back to let her in.

"I just wanted to talk to you." She stepped through the door and he walked into the kitchen.

"Uh… did you want a drink or something?" He asked.

"Sure, I'll just have a glass of water." She sat on one of the chairs at the table and Stiles walked to the cupboard to get a glass.

He didn't know why she was here but he wasn't going to turn her away. The pack had been distant lately, he knew that they wanted him to get better and for him to spend time with his dad but with no Derek he had actually been quite lonely.

"Have you… have you heard anything from Derek?" She asked hopefully, having heard nothing from him either.

Stiles swallowed and shook his head. "No, no nothing." He said as he handed her a glass and took a long sip from his.

She looked disappointed. "I'm sorry, I thought you might have."

"Yeah, me too." Stiles sat down opposite her. "So what are you doing here? I mean I don't want to sound like an asshole but… yeah, I think I already did huh?"

She smiled. "I spend a lot of my time with Jackson, okay? I don't think you could sound like any more of an asshole than him."

Stiles scoffed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I just wanted to come down here to thank you for what you did for me." He looked away with a shrug.

"It was nothing, you know, I just did what I had to."

"I could be dead if it wasn't for you, and I haven't said anything yet so I wanted to come down here and say it. I mean, I know I'm a bitch… but I actually thought you and me kind of… got each other, you know?"

He nodded with a little smile. "You know what, I actually do. I mean we are the comedy central of this mismatched little pack."

She laughed and gave him a grin. "I think you mean sarcasm central."

"I don't know, Jackson might give us a run for our money there."

"Yeah but he's an asshole so he doesn't count."

Stiles actually managed to laugh. "Must be pick-on-Jackson day."

"Every day is pick-on-Jackson day." She rolled her eyes.

"I take it you haven't heard anything from Derek either then." Stiles said, looking intently down into his glass.

She shook her head. "Only what Peter said, but I don't trust him."

"I wouldn't either."

"You should get out of the house, you know, try not to think about it." She said.

He sighed. "Well if you can tell me a way not to think about it then I won't."

She pursed her lips and looked away.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to snap."

"Stiles, it's okay, I get it." She reached out and put her hand on his arm soothingly. "It's not like it would take a genius to see that you loved him."

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to imagine the feel of his lips and the warmth of his body sleeping next to him. "Yeah well… clearly he a different idea about things."

She pulled her chair closer to him and put a second hand on his shoulder. "He's protective, I mean he's probably just… I'm not helping am I?" She scrunched up her nose and gave him a 'sorry' face.

He chuckled a little and looked sideways at her. "No, you're not doing too badly." He smiled.

Scott headed down to the clinic that afternoon with Isaac to talk to Deaton. He had been unusually withdrawn over the last ten days and Scott had a weird feeling about it.

"I'm just saying that it's weird that he shuts up around the same time Derek goes missing. Don't you think that means something?" He asked as they walked up to the door.

"I don't know, maybe he's just busy Scott." Isaac said.

"Yeah, maybe." He said as he walked in through the front door.

Deaton walked out from the back and looked slightly taken aback. "Scott, Isaac, I didn't expect to see you. Come in." He opened up the gate and let them pass through into the back. "What can I help you with?"

"Well, Derek's kind of gone missing and we thought you might know something about it." Scott said, getting straight to the point.

"He hasn't spoken to any of you, has he?" Deaton said.

"Nope, he hasn't been back to the loft either. I sort of kind of live there." Isaac said.

"We just need to know what's happening." Scott sighed.

"I assure you that I don't know where he is." Deaton said.

Scott looked at him curiously. He wasn't lying, his heart beat didn't change at all, but somehow it seemed like a lie.

"I'm not sure if I believe you." Scott folded his arms and Deaton sighed.

"I don't know what to tell you Scott, I don't know where he is."

"But you have seen him since Stiles got out of hospital." Isaac asked, knowing that his response wasn't a lie but that he wasn't giving them the entire truth.

Deaton nodded a little. "Yes, I have."

"Well what's going on? He hasn't contacted any of us! Is he leaving Beacon Hills or is he just avoiding the pack?" Scott said, losing his cool a little.

"Scott, calm down. He has his reasons for doing what he has and in this case I agree with them. With some of them anyway."

"Well explain it to us." Scott pleaded.

"I will tell you but only if you respect his decision." Deaton said.

"He left his pack, how do you expect us to respect that?" Isaac said.

"He doesn't intend to leave you for good. Just while he removes the current issues."

"He's avoiding the question on purpose." Scott said to Isaac.

He nodded. "Come on Doc, just help us out here. According to Peter they're both leaving the town."

"If I were you I wouldn't be putting much faith into what that man says. I know you're worried about Derek and that he's your alpha but he needs to do this alone. He doesn't want any more of you to get hurt." Deaton said.

"Oh I don't give a shit about Derek, I care about Stiles and all of this crap is going to kill him. I mean as if the trigger thing wasn't enough, now he's just leaving him alone without any explanation at all." Scott shook his head and Deaton's thoughts locked on one word in particular.

"Did you say… trigger?" He asked.

"Yeah why?" Scott said.

"Interesting."

"Why?" Isaac said, suddenly interested.

"I just wasn't aware that Stiles was a trigger for Derek."

"You know about them?" Scott said.

"Oh yes, yes I'm quite familiar with the concept."

"Does that matter? What the hell is he up to?" Isaac asked.

"We've been working on a way to remove the Maeve from the town without killing her. Derek is determined to keep his word."

Isaac sighed. "Karissa swore she'd kill Stiles if he killed her sister."

"That doesn't mean he gets away with not calling him back." Scott muttered.

"We have a few plans in motion but these things take time. He doesn't want anyone's help because three of you have already been in the hospital. He'll never desert the pack; he just knows that if you all find out you'll try to help. He needs to do this alone." Deaton sighed.

"He doesn't have to." Isaac said.

"No, that might be true, but I agree that this would be better done covertly."

Scott shook his head. "So maybe you should tell Derek that he could have handled this better. And that he's an asshole." Scott said, storming out of the clinic.

"Sorry about that, he's just really worried about Stiles." Isaac said.

"I can imagine. How is Stiles?"

"Well he's out of hospital but uh… well he just doesn't get what's going on with Derek."

"No, he is difficult to decode sometimes." Isaac gave him a little smile and started towards the door. "And Isaac…" He turned around to see what he had to say. "Make sure Scott gets through this without going completely crazy."

Isaac sort of looked away sheepishly as if Deaton knew about the two of them before he followed Scott out.

Derek headed back to the clinic that night where Deaton was waiting for him, he had said that he would be there until Derek showed up and he was always true to his word. Derek walked in through the back and Deaton greeted him without looking up from his work bench where he was finishing his daily paperwork.

"Good evening Derek. Did we have a productive day today?"

"It was fine. Scott and Isaac were here weren't they?" He said quickly, smelling their fresh scents in the room.

"They were looking for you."

"What did you tell them?"

"You know I can't lie to a pair of werewolves Derek."

Derek grunted. "I don't want them involved."

"I know, and I told them exactly that. Isaac was a little more understanding than Scott though."

"That doesn't surprise me."

"He's just worried about Stiles and wanted to know why you don't seem to be." Deaton looked up from under his eyelashes and Derek bit down on the inside of his cheek.

"It's better that I stay away from him."

Deaton nodded silently and waited a moment before speaking up again. "You never told me that he was a trigger for you."

Derek swallowed. "They told you that?"

"Well they assumed that I already knew."

"It doesn't matter now." Derek turned away, looking for a glass to fill with water.

His thirst wasn't helped by the conversation.

"I beg to differ."

"And what does that mean?" He turned around, a little annoyed that he couldn't just drop it.

If there was one thing that he didn't want to think about, it was Stiles.

"Do you know what a trigger is?"

"Of course I know. Why else would I have called it that?" Derek snapped.

"There's no need to get a temper. What I meant was, do you know the whole story?"

"I know that they're dangerous, they can cause you to lose control of yourself and they make you irrational." He said, thinking of anything but Stiles.

"Yes, well that's part of it, but a trigger is so much more than just a physical reaction to somebody's scent. When you meet someone who becomes a trigger for you it's nature's way of telling you that this person is a match for you, compatible in some higher degree." Deaton said.

"It's a physical response to pheromones. That's all." Derek said.

"That's what most would have you believe, yes. Finding a trigger isn't something that happens to everyone, and some werewolves would do anything to stop their pack members or the wolves around them from sealing the trigger bond."

"Okay, what are you talking about? Sealing the bond? What do you mean?" Derek asked.

"It comes in stages. First, there is the impossible physical attraction, the lust and the anger with yourself that you can't control it, the part that triggers your emotions. If you can make it past that initial stage with a person, without leaving or killing them as it were, you can build something steady on those rocky foundations. Sealing the bond is when both sides acknowledge something pure about it, mostly when both people are conscious to the fact that the other loves them for more than just their pheromone base. The 'trigger' stage ends when the werewolf knows that it's more than just something that connects them physically.

"A sealed trigger bond is where the myth of having a soul mate comes into things. There is no such thing as one true soul mate for every werewolf as far as we can tell, just people who are more suited to one another. You could find yourself feeling the pull of three triggers before you finally give in to one of them. Of course, it can be broken if one side leaves or for some reason things don't work, but when the bond is sealed _both_ sides become stronger, even a human side." Deaton said and Derek filled his glass slowly. "If you'll let me guess, I'd say Peter wasn't too happy about your relationship with Stiles, was he?"

"Like I said, it's dangerous."

"Did you just listen to a word I said?" Deaton huffed.

"I did, and even if I believed you it isn't going to change my mind. Can we get down to business please? I think I may have been able to track her down." Derek said and Deaton shook his head.

"Your mother would throttle me if she knew I'd watch you turn out like this. You're bitter and you refuse to fix that."

"Maybe I don't need fixing and maybe you could leave her out of this for once." Derek snarled.

Deaton backed off, knowing that Derek had his mother's stubbornness and would be harder to break than iron train tracks. "Well I believe I've found a way to block her toxin from penetrating your blood stream. It will hurt, but it will combine with your healing matrix to stop the most severe of its effects."

"So then what? I can't kill her."

Deaton sighed. "Talk to her Derek, though you don't seem to be all that great with words." He received a menacing glare and Deaton tried another approach. "Show her that she can't use her powers against you, if she's as arrogant as the texts portray her to be then it'll spook her and you can try to talk her down after that."

"We don't have much, do we?"

"You're the one who made a deal with the she-devil." Deaton raised an eyebrow.

"Cute. Show me what you've got." Derek said.

Another week went by and Stiles heard nothing back from Derek. He didn't want to think about how much it made his heart ache that he didn't care, or didn't know how much he was hurting. Derek didn't have to make this choice but he did.

Stiles was sick of him feeling guilty about the things in his past and blaming himself for the mistakes that weren't his. He wished that Derek would just believe that things weren't his fault. It frustrated him to no end that he couldn't even talk to him and tell him that he could die tomorrow and he wouldn't care so long as he had spent all this time with Derek.

He said he loved him and Stiles knew that it was real, he knew it. Derek must have known what he was going to say, he must have. So he knew that Stiles loved him and he said he loved him back. It was his only hope of Derek ever coming back to him.

He was afraid that Derek had just said the words because he thought that Stiles was going to die and that he wanted him to hear the words that he had been waiting for before it was all over.

He had been spending a lot of time with Erica this week. He didn't know why she had suddenly become nicer to him but he had to admit that he was enjoying her company. They were a lot more similar than he had thought.

He thought that it must have had something to do with the fact that he had saved her, and something like that goes a long way for Erica. She suffered a lot before she became a werewolf and for Stiles to treat her like a friend, and to put his life in danger for her, it meant a lot.

He was going out to get some lunch with her but first he was stopping by the loft to see Isaac. He just wanted to know if he had heard anything more and part of him hoped that he would just magically run into Derek there like nothing was wrong, like it was any old normal day.

He parked the jeep by the side of the building and headed up in the dingy old lift to Derek's apartment, not that he's lived in it for over two weeks. The music was blaring from upstairs and he figured Isaac must be in his room.

He walked up the spiral staircase and towards the door. Upon opening it he got a bigger surprise than he had expected to get that day.

Scott was sprawled out on the bed with Isaac straddling his hips, both of them shirtless and their lips locked in a tireless tango that only ceased when Stiles let out a strangled sound from the doorway.

"Oh my god I wish I could un-see that and erase it from my brain right now…" He muttered, turning away as they tore themselves apart and Scott started to babble.

"Stiles! I – uh, look, I was going to say something but –"

Isaac actually looked pleased with himself while Scott fumbled over his words and searched frantically for his shirt.

"Look, I honestly don't care what was going on but I think we need to talk." Stiles said, still not looking at either of them.

"Yeah, yeah that's probably a good idea."

"You mind if I talk to Isaac alone?" He asked.

Scott looked dumbfounded and actually a little insulted. "Are you kidding? I'm your best friend and you want to talk to him?"

"Yes, actually I would. Do you mind?" Stiles smiled weakly and Scott's dropped jaw stayed firmly in place as he walked past him and out of the room.

"Seriously?"

"Sorry." Stiles shrugged before he shut the door on him.

As he turned to Isaac he raised his eyebrows with a grin. "So… never going to happen huh?"

Isaac gave him a cheeky grin in return. "Yeah well…"

"How long have the two of you been uh… doing this?"

Isaac thought back to that day in the hospital, a smile creeping onto his lips. "A few weeks."

"Way to go Isaac." He shook his head and Stiles grave him a playful punch in the arm. "do I have to give you the unofficial big brother talk?"

"You might as well, after what happened in the hospital you two are _practically_ brothers."

Stiles shrugged. "Always were, always will be. But seriously, don't take advantage of him or I will hunt you down."

Isaac laughed. "I guess you came here to say something and not just ruin the mood. Thanks for that by the way."

"Oh get over it, do you really think it'll be hard to get him back into bed?"

"No, no I definitely don't." He grinned and Stiles closed his eyes, trying to get all of the horrible, horrible images out of his head.

"Over sharing Isaac. And yeah, I guess I wanted to know if you've heard anything else about Derek." He shrugged, trying not to sound like it was killing him inside to know nothing.

"All I know is what we told you, he's trying to get rid of the Maeve."

"Why doesn't he just find it and kill it?" Stiles said impatiently.

"It's complicated. Look, I'm sorry Stiles, I want him back too. He's my alpha and the pack seems to be pining for him." He sighed.

"Yeah, Erica seems pretty down about it."

"You've been talking to Erica?" Isaac asked.

"Yeah, quite a bit actually. We're going to go get lunch and I'm actually late so I'll let you get back to… defiling my best friend."

Isaac wasn't sure what to think about the Erica thing. He'd have to talk about it with Scott… after they were done obviously.

Stiles left the room and headed down the stairs and Scott walked over to him from the kitchen. "Stiles, can I just say that-"

"Scott, I really don't know what the big deal is, go get him or… you know, whatever. I've got to go but I'll talk to you tonight yeah?" He said, getting into the lift and pressing the buttons quickly, leaving Scott stunned in the living room.

Isaac walked downstairs and put his arms around him from behind, his tongue slipping out to draw in Scott's earlobe. "Come back upstairs." He whispered causing Scott to shiver.

"Was that weird to you?" Scott asked, ignoring Isaac's advances.

Isaac sighed and let go of him, walking around to face him. "He could have reacted the way you did when you found out that he was screwing Derek."

Scott narrowed his eyes. "Hey, it wasn't that bad… and you make me sound so cheap."

Isaac grinned and Scott's lips stretched into a cheeky smile. Isaac put his hands on Scott's hips and pulled him in close, his lips leaving a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. Scott felt his whole body relax, giving himself in to Isaac and closing his eyes.

"That's a little better." He mumbled through the gaps in their lips and Isaac smiled.

He pulled away and slipped his hand into Scott's, leading him up the staircase without complaint. As far from the front of his mind as it was, he couldn't get the idea of Erica spending her time with Stiles away from his thoughts. He would deal with it after he was done with Scott though, some things just couldn't wait.

Stiles and Erica walked along the path just outside the woods. It was getting closer to evening than it was afternoon and Stiles knew that he would have to get home soon.

"So, do your parents actually know where you are half the time?" Stiles asked.

Erica shrugged. "My dad works away, my mom spends more time at home drinking than she does writing her book. She's an author you know. I mean, she's only published a few times but I guess she thinks that's enough to call herself an author."

"So that'd be a no?"

She smiled and nudged him with her arm. "Mom likes the peace and quiet, I don't think she'd notice if I just wasn't there for a few weeks so sometimes I guess I just stay at – I mean I just crash elsewhere."

"You know you can say 'Derek', it's not like saying his name changes anything." Stiles gave her a warm smile and she looked at him pensively.

"You're taking this better than I thought you would."

"That's because you think I was the girl in the relationship… if you could even call it that."

"Don't lie Stiles, you totally were. Anyone's a girl next to Derek."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence there Erica, great job."

"Hey, you'll still be Batman." She looked up at him warmly and they stopped by the side of his jeep.

He chuckled softly to himself as he pulled out his keys. "Do you need a ride?" He offered.

"I think I'll skip the bat mobile this time." She beamed and leant up to kiss him on the cheek, her lips lingering for a moment before leaving with a warm parting glance and heading back the way they had come.

Stiles couldn't believe the Erica that he had seen over the last few days, she was actually sweet when she wanted to be. He sighed, his dad was probably out working which meant another night alone for him. That was the last thing he wanted.

Erica decided that she would go back to the loft that night, not wanting to be around her mother all that much. Though when she arrived she almost wished she had gone home.

"What are you doing with Stiles?" Isaac asked the second she walked through the door.

She rolled her eyes. "What does it matter to you?"

"It matters because he and Derek aren't over."

"Derek is nowhere to be seen and won't return anyone's calls. I think he doesn't want to deal with us anymore." She pushed past him and into the kitchen but he followed.

"You know that's not true. I told you what Deaton said."

"Yes, and he said that he would come back when he comes back, he can't expect people to just wait around for him to sort his own crap out."

"So do you really think that Stiles would even think about doing something with you?"

She scoffed. "Why does it have to be about that? Do you really think so low of me that you believe I would try and lure him into bed to make him forget about Derek?"

"I don't know, would you?"

She growled. "Maybe I should try, because Stiles won't wait for Derek forever. He hurt him, badly, so he has to face the consequences for that."

"Do you only ever think of yourself?" Isaac yelled.

"No! But that's what everyone thinks so why not go with it?"

Isaac grunted in annoyance and Erica shook her head.

"I'm not trying to seduce him or lure him in; I'm just being a friend. So back the hell off." She snapped and walked past him and up the stairs to the spare room.

Isaac let out an exasperated huff and sat down in one of the stools.

"Fucking _hell_ Derek, why can't you just accept our help?" He grunted.

That night Derek lay awake in his crummy motel bed as he pieced together his plan. Tomorrow night he was going to go after the Maeve, Deaton's potion was ready but there was no guarantee that it would work exactly as he said. All he could do was try.

He needed the town to be safe to keep his pack out of danger, if they still wanted him. Even if they didn't, they would be safe from this creature and wouldn't have to worry about it taking anyone that they loved.

It was a good thing that Derek knew the plan because his mind was elsewhere. It was wrapped up in the arms of a skinny human teenager who was tonight sleeping alone with his window unlocked in the hope that his Sour Wolf would barge through it. There would be no warm embrace for either of them.

Derek bit down painfully hard on his lip to hold back the stinging tears that threatened to fall. He missed Stiles with every part of him but he knew that this would keep him safe. Getting rid of the Maeve and staying away from him would keep him away from danger, because he was dangerous, no matter what Deaton said. He brought bad things down on the people around him and if he had to suffer a lonely life because of it then he would take that on.

He would rather hurt than to know that Stiles was in danger. So he choked back his sobs and forced himself to go over the plan one more time to keep that boy off his mind.

Stiles lay in bed, nearly asleep, with his ears trained to the sounds on the roof outside.

"Sour wolf…" He whispered, remembering all the times he would be out there waiting to come in. "I know you're there sour wolf… you don't need to hide…" He sniffed, knowing that there was no one there, just some leaves blowing in the wind. "I love you." He sniffed again, refusing to believe that it was really over. "Please, please come back. Derek… please come back…"


	27. Chapter 27

**_A/N: Just a warning, this is almost the end of the book! Not many chapters left!_**

_"Derek? Derek! Don't you ignore me Derek."_

_He didn't look up, instead he sighed and stared at the ceiling._

_"I know you can hear me."_

_"You're not even real." He said flatly._

_"Says who?"_

_"I'm not having this conversation with you." He shook his head._

_"You're going to say the poison's making you hallucinate but did you ever think that maybe you just needed this? Because you're still an idiot, you've always been a fool when it comes to-"_

_"Don't say it." _

_"Well that's it, isn't it? Love? You love him and you're an idiot."_

_He stopped letting her get to him and let his vision blur, the ceiling all he could see._

_"Don't you do that. Derek? Derek!"_

**_Twenty-seven hours earlier… 7pm_**

"Well, if you're going just be careful. I can't promise that these things will make you stronger, only that they'll stop her from killing you as quickly." Deaton said as Derek took a shot of his final mixture.

He coughed and spluttered and pulled a disgusted face.

"I didn't say it would be pleasant either." He said.

Derek muttered something about necessary evils as he regained control of himself. He shook himself off and gave Deaton a sombre look. "I know where she'll be, I'm going to cut her off and… Well I guess that'll be the easy part out of the way."

"Quite. You'll be careful, won't you Derek? The others will never forgive me if I let you go out and get yourself killed."

"If you don't get a call from me by midnight you can start digging my grave." He said with a straight face as he headed for the door.

"That's not funny Derek." Deaton said with a shake of his head.

"It wasn't a joke." Derek said quietly and opened to door of the clinic to leave.

He had a job to do, and no one would be safe until it was finished. One way or another. He didn't take the car, that was parked well out on the other side of the woods where no one would think to look for it, in a place that he had only ever taken one person.

His car wasn't as comfortable as his bed but it would do while he finished what he had to do. Besides, the view of the town made him feel somehow closer to the rest of them, even though he tried to convince himself that he wasn't missing them.

So on foot he walked and ran to the place that he knew she would be, because like him, she was hiding from someone, trying to keep her actions a secret so that no one could stop her.

Her senses were strong, but his were stronger. He was an alpha and his abilities had grown with him. He sat perched in the tree branches, his ears intently trained on the sounds in the forest around him as he waited.

He would have been there almost an hour before his nose locked onto the scent he had been tracking for the last two weeks. He scoured the darkness and focussed all of his senses on finding her.

She was still human at this stage. She hadn't fully completed her transformation and if he played this well enough he could surprise her before she had the chance. The smell got stronger as she roamed nearer, his fingertips twitching with anticipation.

His instincts still said that killing her was the best option but he wasn't going to give in. There was too much at stake.

She was walking in a path that led directly to him now and his crystal clear vision picked her up and he prepared his jump. His timing was crucial. Deaton was right, the tonic he had Derek drink didn't protect from the severity of her claws or her dexterous tail, those could quite easily still kill him.

He gave himself a count and when she was almost directly below he let himself drop right into her path, knocking her down from above.

The Maeve let out a cry and Derek crouched, teeth bared and ready for anything she could throw at him. He leapt at her, grabbing her throat and pinning her to the forest floor with a knee in her chest.

She hissed up at him with her eyes glowing and Derek would finally get a good look at her. She bore a striking resemblance to Karissa but she was definitely older. Her hair was much darker and her nose was more pointed but the eyes were all but identical.

Derek tightened his grip on her throat and she began to laugh hysterically.

"Do you even know what I am? Your little werewolf tricks aren't going to work the way you want them to." She grinned and Derek knew that she would be trying to manipulate the pheromones in the air to seduce him long enough to kill him.

It didn't take long for her to realise that her tricks were the ones tripping up and her eyes filled with horror and disbelief.

"You sure about that? _Maeve_." Derek said flatly.

"What do you want from me?!" she spat through her gritted teeth.

"All I want is to talk." He said, not relinquishing his grip one bit.

"Looks like it." She growled.

"I'm not stupid." He said shaking his head and knowing that if her let her up she would make a move to take him down while she escaped. "Why are you here?"

"What makes you think I'm going to tell a dirty dog anything?" Derek tightened his fingers around her throat and she let out a strangled laugh.

"You attacked the members of my pack so I'm here to settle the score." He growled.

"I remember them… they just… wouldn't… _die_." She hissed, the tail that had not been there moments earlier wrapped around Derek's neck and tore him backward and off her.

She got to her feet, claws extended and faced him as Derek did the same.

"Do you think I would just let my pack die?"

"What do I care what you do with your filthy pack? The real question is why do you care who I kill in this pathetic excuse for a town? This place has been plagued with animal attacks since you _lunatics_ migrated here all those years ago. Don't you think we have some double standards here?" Her tail swayed from side to side and the arrogant grin on her face never ceased.

"I haven't killed anyone in a long time." Derek growled. "You on the other hand are killing someone new every week."

"Just men," she scoffed, "no one worthy of staying among the living."

Derek felt a snarl brimming, the urge to protect his pack getting stronger. "All for the sake of staying young?"

"All for the purpose of doing what my ancestors intended me to do. My family may not believe in the old ways but once you've done it… well you realise just how much of a natural instinct it really is to kill." She grinned with such sadistic pleasure that Derek knew this was going to be much harder than he thought. "How is it that you can stand to be around me?" She asked, fascinated.

Derek tipped his head. "Maybe you're just not as powerful as you thought."

"I highly doubt that." She lunged for him with her claws ripping through the air.

He lurched forward to grab her shoulders but her claws had already found his back and ripped through his shirt. He let out an agonised growl as the poison stung his skin and he threw her back into one of the trees.

She let out a screech and Derek tried not to focus on the pain as he stared her down. The terror in her eyes was magnified now. She couldn't understand why he wasn't convulsing in a heap on the floor.

"How are you doing this?!"

"Maybe I have some werewolf tricks that you don't know about." He said in a gravelly voice.

He could feel the blood trickling down his back as he tried to heal himself, but it wasn't working nearly as fast as he would have liked.

She was hesitant to make another move. She began to calculate her plan of attack in her head.

"All I want is for you to leave Beacon Hills. If I don't have to kill you I won't, but if you stay here, I will." He said.

"And why should I uproot myself for someone like you? I happen to have an acquired taste for Beacon Hills." She smirked.

"And how did that go for you on your last two attempts?"

She flared her nostrils, Isaac and Stiles both managed to survive her attacks. "Maybe if I get rid of you I can finally get back to business." She barrelled herself towards him with a screaming yowl and he braced his shoulders into her.

They tumbled back, Derek's feet slipping on the fallen leaves. She tried to claw at him but he held her wrists tightly and pinned them to the ground. Her unbridled anger slipping over the edge and her tail wrapped around his throat.

"It doesn't have to be like this!" Derek choked but she didn't relent.

As his airways restricted faster he looked around desperately for someway of stopping her.

A few feet from her head there was a rock jutting out of the ground and Derek managed to grab her by the shirt and throw her into it with his remaining strength, knocking her out cold. Her tail slipped down from his neck and he gasped with the air that was finally getting into his lungs.

Her ears and claws began to shrink back into her and she was once again in her human skin. As Derek settled his breathing he looked down at her with a sigh. In her slumber she looked like a normal girl. She was beautiful, but she looked almost peaceful, not the angry vicious creature she had just been.

He had no idea where to go next. He stood up and leant against one of the trees, wincing with the pain in his back that hadn't completely healed. He sighed.

"You're not going to stop are you?" He spun around to see Karissa standing in the open looking up at him.

For a second he tried to figure out how she had snuck up on him and what the hell she was doing there in the first place. "My priority is to my pack."

"You gave me your word." She said.

"Don't you think that if I wanted to kill her I could have? One blow to the head isn't enough to do it but she's defenceless now."

She gave him a strange look. "You're very different."

"How do you mean?"

"I didn't expect to you stay true to your promise, why do you think I've been tracking you for the last two weeks?" Derek said nothing; he just stared back at her. "I was wrong about you."

"You make snap judgements."

"So do you."

"I gave my word." Derek said, something he doesn't take lightly.

"So let me give you mine." Derek gave her an odd look. "You will never win against her, but she can't win against you either. You're both just torturing each other like this. I don't want this to spark some stupid war because you're both too stubborn to just make this simple. All I want is my sister back and all of this death to stop."

"Death is in your nature." He said.

"Death is in my history, not my nature. You can relate to that, I'm sure. I know you've killed before, whether it's one or more – I can feel it. And I know that one day I might do it the same. You have so much guilt in you, and that's not natural for a werewolf. You and me are pretty similar Derek, I don't want to be this monster, do you?"

He paused for a moment, her words sinking in. "No." He shook his head.

"We're the same Derek, strong and fierce and restricted by that part of us we were born with. I understand that you want to protect your pack; it's the same way I want to protect my sister. So let me try and take her away and stop all of this pointless fighting."

Derek scoffed a little. "Who says she wants to go, don't you think I made that proposition before that happened?" He nudged his head to her sister who was still passed out on the ground.

"Some parts of her are still human." Karissa sighed, staring over at her like she was remembering another time. "My mother and I have thought about leaving before. Our kind tends to be nomadic because… well, historically if you ran out of men in one town you'd just move on to the next." She said a little gloomily.

"I can't let this go on in this town." Derek said.

"Nor can I." Both of them turned to look at the beautiful woman standing by Karissa's fallen sister.

"Derek, this is my mother, Dahlia." Derek was wary of her, clearly this wasn't a woman that he could so easily overpower.

"I've heard about you, I must say I was shocked to hear of what happened to your mother. From what I knew of her she was a remarkable woman." She gave him the weakest of smiles but her face was still warm.

"How did you know her?" Derek asked, a little thrown at her statement.

"My own mother met her many years ago when we passed through, I was much younger then. I hear you have a vendetta against my eldest daughter." She tilted her head and looked down at her lying on the ground. "From what I can see, Freya seemed to be holding a grudge against you too."

"She is a threat to my pack. Three of them have already been in the hospital and one of them only just made it… with help." He gave Karissa a quick glance. "I'm just trying to do my duty as alpha."

"You're doing quite more from what I understand of it. It's quite odd for a werewolf to keep his word to a Maeve, but here you stand, my daughter laying helpless and you just standing back to watch." Dahlia said calmly.

"A werewolf is not all that I am."

Dahlia smiled. "You have good lineage. I have no doubt that you are the son of Talia Hale. You hold the same fearless loyalty."

"I knew her as my mother, not as a pack leader. If it were her choice I never would have become what I am." Derek said, thinking through the chain of events that led him here today.

"Some might call it your fate."

Karissa looked from one to the other and Derek kept his gaze trained on Dahlia. "Others would call it bad luck." Derek said.

Dahlia chuckled. "There is no such thing as luck Derek. Not in a world like this."

He continued to stare at her as his mind processed all of the things she had been saying. She held out her hand for Karissa and she took a few steps forward to take it. Dahlia gave her a warm smile and turned back to Derek.

"I will take my daughters elsewhere, but I can never promise that death will not follow us." She said.

"Neither of our kinds could promise that." Derek was being cautious, he was outnumbered and knew that his strength couldn't beat two of them, or possibly three if the conversation headed that direction.

"As Karissa said, the quarrelling of our species is not something that we want."

"And how will you convince your other daughter? So far my efforts have been useless."

Dahlia gave him a shrewd smile. "You should know that some bonds cannot be crossed."

Derek nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. "Somehow I don't think you're doing this for nothing."

Dahlia laughed. "You have a keen wit Derek, but all I ask of you is a truce. I could be an ally to you if you would only accept."

"If you're gone from Beacon Hills I won't try to follow. All I want is the safety of my pack."

"Then we have an accord." She dropped Karissa's hand and walked towards Derek with it extended for him.

Derek took her hand after a moment of thought and felt a power surge between them.

"This is all too complicated for me." Karissa shook her head.

"This can work in your favour too Derek," she whispered. "If you find yourself in above your head you need only ask." She dropped his hand and stepped back. "Come on Karissa; let us gather your sister before she awakes to destroy our new-found alliance."

Derek didn't quite trust her but if she was willing to take away his problem and the threat that Freya posed to them he would let her do that for now.

"You give my emissary my regards. He is clearly more knowledgeable than most." There is was, Derek knew that this would have influenced her decision. She thinks Deaton could be of some use to her. Emissaries are valuable and a link with Derek provides her with a direct link to Deaton.

"Thank you." He said.

"There is no such thing as luck Derek. All things have reason." She said as they lifted Freya off the ground and began to walk out of sight.

Derek waited until after they were most definitely gone before he let out his breath and leant against the tree nearest him. His back was throbbing from his handshake with Dahlia and he knew that she was much older and much more powerful than she looked.

Maybe an alliance was the smartest thing he had ever agreed to.

The only problem was that now he had no excuse for staying away from the pack and especially Stiles. He felt his chest pang at the thought of him but he knew that he couldn't stay away forever. Slowly he made his way through the forest and back to his car before driving to the home he hasn't seen since this all went completely pear-shaped.

Stiles sat at home that night watching a movie, Erica alongside him. His dad was working late as usual and Erica had suggested they do something. With the choices being spending the night alone on his computer or watching Wolverine with another person for human-ish contact, he was going to choose the last one.

"I seriously don't know why this was your first choice of movie." He said, shoving some popcorn into his mouth.

She shrugged. "I've been kind of in the mood for it ever since you mentioned it that time."

He chuckled. "I know what you mean; I went and read an old comic that day."

She laughed and looked over at him, stretching out and resting her feet on his knees. "So why aren't you hanging out with Scott tonight?"

Stiles shook his head. "He's too busy spending his time with Isaac, and I think I'll let them have their… moments."

"Moments huh? What's going on with those two? Have they finally banged?" She asked.

Stiles looked over with an eyebrow raised. "_You_ know about those two?"

She scoffed. "_Please_, they are the only two who think they're keeping it a secret, trust me. It's actually pretty hilarious. I don't know why they don't just come out and say it."

"True, I'll let them have their moment while they want it."

"Speaking of that, do you mind if I crash here tonight?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure, why?"

She shrugged a little. "I'm not fussed on going home and I really don't want to walk into the loft when I know Scott's going to be there."

"Well yeah, sure, my dad won't care."

She gave him a smile and turned back to the movie. "I wish our pack looked like him, it might make things more interesting."

"He is one attractive man." Stiles had to admit.

"Are you the expert on that now?"

"Oh you're funny." He shoved her and she threw her head back laughing.

It was quite a while later that Derek finally lumbered into the loft, tired and sore and his back stinging as it still struggled to heal. He walked straight into his kitchen to pour himself some water and he heard Isaac coming down the stairs.

"Derek!" He said, striding over to him with an exasperated look on his face. "Where the hell have you been?"

Derek just looked at him, took a sip of his water and turned his back to put it over on the bench.

"Shit, what happened to your back? Derek, what's going on?"

"Just hold on for five minutes would you?" He said. "I'll answer you just let my head stop spinning, alright?"

He felt quite weak, living on the bare minimum, hardly sleeping and tirelessly working to rid the town of the Maeve, which he had hopefully achieved.

"Alright." Isaac said, sitting down in one of the chairs and waiting.

"You're just going to sit there and wait aren't you?" He sighed.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Fine." Derek shook his head.

He started off explaining why he hadn't come back and why he'd isolated himself. Then he started telling him about the plan and Deaton's tonics until he had finished telling him about the events from just a few hours earlier.

"Wow… that's… I mean… yeah." Isaac said.

"It's finished now. Hopefully." Derek said as he pulled his bloodied and torn shirt from his back and threw it into the trash. "How bad is it?" He turned to give Isaac a look and he shrugged a little.

"It's alright I think, maybe a little infected but it looks like it's healing. So are you going to explain why you abandoned Stiles?" He said.

Derek groaned. "I'm not going to talk about it."

"Why? Because you know your reasons are stupid?"

"Because you already think you know everything about it."

"Oh I see, you don't know whether he'll still be a trigger for you when you see him and you're scared it's going to be like some Schrodinger's… werewolf?" Isaac threw his hands up and Derek raised an eyebrow.

"Schrodinger's werewolf?"

"Yeah well I thought Schrodinger's cat might be a little insensitive right now. Seriously though, you're an idiot."

"That's not the reason. He hasn't been a trigger in a while." Derek said.

"What? Since when?"

"Since… since the weekend you got attacked." Derek said, remembering the moment the trigger bond changed, the moment he knew how he felt.

"Well you need to call him up, and I mean now, it's been almost three weeks and Erica is kind of starting to move in. She's at his place right now, just the two of them." Derek ground his teeth a little, feeling some anger building inside him.

"Good. He should move on and forget about me. It's better that way."

Isaac couldn't even believe what he was saying. "Are you kidding me Derek?"

"Leave it alone Isaac, and don't tell Stiles that I'm here." He started heading up to his room and Isaac called back.

"You can't expect that I'm not going to say anything. He's my friend Derek."

"As your alpha, I'm asking you to keep your mouth shut." He said, and Isaac couldn't argue with that.

Stiles woke up on the couch the next morning, Erica sleeping on the other side. He rubbed his eyes and stretched out as he checked his watch. It was already ten.

_Damn, how late did we get to sleep?_ He thought.

He remembered putting on another few movies and just chatting until it was quite late. They must have just drifted off to sleep when the conversation stopped.

He wandered into the kitchen to see his dad reading the paper at the table.

"Late night son?" He said, sipping his coffee.

"Yeah, I guess so." He reached into the fridge for some juice and drank straight from the carton.

"What's… what's all that about?" He pointed to Erica in the living room with raised eyes.

"What, Erica? Nothing, we just had a movie night, that's all."

"Yeah I heard the two of you when I got in. Is there something I should know about?"

"No, dad, no there's nothing." He said.

"What's going on with Derek?"

Stiles looked down into the juice and shrugged. "Yeah, I don't … I don't really want to talk about that." He said.

"Well… if you do, I'm here. And if you want, there's a whole heap of things that I could charge him with and lock him up." He smiled and Stiles managed a laugh.

"Thanks dad."

Erica woke up not long after and said a brief hello to the sheriff before heading out with a lingering smile for Stiles. Little did either of them know that Derek was back.

Isaac was lying on Scott's bed while he read one of the books on the list for next year. Isaac sighed for the fourth time and Scott put the book down, rolling over to look at him.

"Okay, seriously Isaac, what's going on?"

"What? Nothing, I'm fine."

"You're a bad liar."

"No, you can just tell when I'm lying, there's a difference."

"Isaac…"

He rolled his eyes. "Look, there's something I have to tell you, but I can't."

"Well that made no sense at all." Scott smiled, putting his hand on Isaac's stomach and tilting his head. "You can tell me anything."

"No but I really _can't_." He groaned. "I physically can't." He looked at Scott, hoping that he would read between the lines but who was he kidding, it was Scott.

"Isaac, I mean it, anything you have to say, you can say."

"Scott, you're not listening. I _can't_. If there was any way that I could get out of it I would but I _physically can't_."

He raised an eyebrow and Isaac just grunted, frustrated that Derek had put a gag order on him.

"I have no idea what you mean Isaac."

"Forget it."

"No really, tell me."

"Scott! I am begging you to believe that I have no control over this! I need to tell you, I am dying to tell you but I can't. This is the only freaking loophole I have." Isaac said and Scott thought for a few moments before his eyes lit up.

"It's Derek, isn't it? Derek's back?"

Isaac nodded and Scott stood up straight away.

"Well we have to tell Stiles!"

"You can, I can't say anything." Isaac said.

"Derek didn't want you to tell did he?"

"If he thinks I was going to just give up then he was wrong, but I'm pretty sure he expects that everyone will know by the end of the day."

Scott already had his phone out, Stiles number dialled into the key-pad. "Come on, come on, come on, pick up damn it Stiles!"

On the tenth ring he finally answered.

"Hey Scott, what's crack-a-lacking?"

"Derek is back Stiles." He said, not missing a beat.

There was only silence for a moment from Stiles who really hadn't been expecting that. "Oh… when… when did he-?"

"Last night I think, Isaac is kind of bound by some kind of alpha rule and can't talk about it."

Stiles nodded silently. "Well, I don't think he wants to see me Scott…"

"So? You need to go over there and give him a piece of your mind! He's an asshole and he needs to hear it."

"I… I don't think so Scott. Look, thanks for telling me, I just… I can't really do anything about it so… yeah, thanks."

Scott sighed and not much more was said before they both hung up.

"He doesn't want to talk to him anymore does he?" Isaac asked and Scott shook his head.

"It's been nearly three weeks, I'm not surprised."

"You'd think he would at least want to clear things up with him. What are you doing?" Isaac asked as Scott put the phone to his ear again.

"I'm calling everyone else; you can't do it so I guess it's up to me." He said.

That evening Erica headed over to Stiles' place, knowing that he was being stubborn and probably upset that Derek was back and hadn't called. She didn't bring it up, she just gave him a sympathetic shrug as she walked in.

"So you heard I guess, judging by your expression." She said as they sat down on the couch together.

He sighed. "Yeah, yeah I did."

"And you're not going to go talk to him?" He shook his head.

"He doesn't want me so why should I bother?"

"I don't know if that's the case."

"Really? He is going out of his way to avoid speaking to me or even having me find out so clearly he doesn't want to see me."

"Maybe he's just confused."

"No, he's just… Derek is just… Derek." He sighed again.

"Are you confused?" She asked.

"What does that even mean?"

"Do you still want him?" She said, scooting closer.

He sighed and just looked at her. "No."

She leant in closer, placing a hand on his cheek and laid a temperate kiss on his lips. For a moment they moved their lips together in sync before she pulled back with a smile. "You are such a liar Stiles." She grinned.

He nodded a little. _What am I doing? Of course I want him!_ He thought. He stood up and gave her a smile. "You're right… you're right I do."

"Of course I am." She leant back in her seat as he ran to grab his coat and keys.

"I have to go, just help yourself to whatever, spare key's under the mat out front." He said as he ran for the door.

"Good luck!" She said in a sing song voice.

As soon as she heard his jeep pull out of the driveway there was a knock at the door and she rolled her eyes as she got up to answer it. Isaac was leaning against the frame with an eyebrow raised.

"Really? You kissed him?" He said.

"That I did." She said as a smile spread across her lips.

"Why are you smiling? He left, you lost."

"Did I?" she winked.

She knew that Stiles would never be with her, she had figured that out early. He was miserable without Derek and sometimes you've got to give someone a push before they actually do what's right. Or in this case, a kiss.

_"Don't you do that. Derek? Derek!" She yelled._

_"I'm right here, stop doing that." He said._

_"I thought mom always taught you to listen to your big sister."_

_"You're not really here." Derek said, the scratches on his back clearly giving him hallucinations._

_Laura walked over to him and leant over his head as he lay on his bed._

_"Even if I am in your head, I'm only telling you the things you already know." She said._

_He shook his head, Laura was dead, it was all in his mind._

_"Derek, you've got to stop blaming yourself for what happened. For the fire, to Paige… to me. You couldn't have predicted them or stopped them, and you being in love is not a bad omen. Because you said it! You said you loved him." She said._

_"He won't remember. He was affected by the poison."_

_"Really? You think that the boy who adores you isn't going to remember the first time you opened up and told him that you love him? You heard what Deaton said. You heard him say that he loves you and then you said it back, albeit a little belated but still. You sealed the bond Derek. You're-"_

_"Don't say it."_

_She grunted. "Why do you always stop people from telling you what you need to hear? You're connected on a much higher level than any of us could understand Derek. You're supposed to be together."_

_"You sound like some kind of Hallmark greeting." He brushed her off and she smacked him._

_And he felt it._

_"How did you do that?" he said, looking up at her._

_"Because Derek, I love you and I need to make a point. None of the terrible things in your life have been your fault. You can't shut yourself off from people and think that all the bad things in the world will suddenly stop. They won't. You know that Stiles has a habit of getting into trouble with or without your help so do you think it's better that you're there with him or that he faces it alone?" She put her hands on her hips and he rolled her eyes. "That's what I thought."_

_She sat beside him and gently stroked his arm. "You can't be real." He said softly._

_"I want you to be happy Derek." She said._

_"I miss you."_

_"I miss you too, but you're going to regret it for as long as you live if you let him slip away." She said, leaning down and kissing his cheek. "Just wake up Derek."_

_"Wake up to what?" He asked._

_"Wake up Derek."_

"Derek?" The voice changed suddenly and his eyes shot open and he sat up quickly in his bed, realising that he had been asleep there for hours.

He knew that she had been a dream but now she was gone and there was another face standing in the doorway. He turned to see those big brown eyes and parted lips, in suspended motion after having his name roll off his lips.

"Derek?" He said again and Derek swallowed.

"Stiles."


	28. Chapter 28

Stiles stood in the open doorway, chewing on his lip as he stared down at Derek, suddenly forgetting his words.

Derek returned his gaze, his eyes never holding with Stiles' for too long.

"I uh… maybe we should talk." Stiles said finally.

Derek sighed and scooted over to give him room to sit. Stiles walked in slowly, shutting the door behind him. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and his heart was beating so hard he thought it might explode.

He sat down beside Derek, leaving plenty of room between them as the atmosphere in the room grew even tenser. How were they even going to start this thing?

"Uh… when, when did you get back?" Stiles asked.

"I never really left." Derek said softly, not looking up.

Stiles exhaled heavily. He had hoped this would be easy but it was anything but.

"Where did you go?"

"… the camping spot."

"Oh." Stiles said the sound catching in his throat as he remembered the night they had spent there.

There was more silence. Derek couldn't stand to be near him, he had missed his scent, the way he bit down on that bottom lip when he was thinking, everything. He had tried to stay away from him so that he could forget about all of that but here he was.

"Why did you just disappear Derek?" He finally managed to ask.

Derek sighed. "I needed to get things done. It was just better if I did them myself."

"You didn't call…"

"I needed to be by myself and… I need, I need you not to be with me." He said.

Stiles swallowed. "Why?"

"You need to be safe; I'm not going to make you any safer. It's better if we just, go back to the way things were." Derek said softly.

"To what? My sarcasm and your angry glares?" Stiles asked.

"It's better that way." Derek said without looking up.

"Stop saying that." Stiles said, getting a little angry. "You think you know what's best for me all the time and you don't."

"I know that trouble follows me. That's what I know." He looked up at Stiles who shook his head with a huff.

"Yeah? Well it follows me too, I've been getting into trouble a lot longer than I've known you."

"If it weren't for me then you would never have been put in danger in the first place. You could have died."

"I could have yeah, but I could die every time I get into my car too. There's probably a better chance of death by tree than there is of death by supernatural." Derek shook his head and looked away. "I don't blame you for any of this anyway, if there's anyone to blame it's Peter, I mean he was the one who dragged Scott and me into it in the first place."

"We can't Stiles. I'm not going to let you die because of me, whatever the chances." He did have to agree with him about Peter though, he was nothing but trouble.

They sat in silence for another few minutes, Stiles refusing to believe that this was really over.

"I… I remember you know." He said slowly.

"Remember what?" Derek asked.

Stiles looked into Derek's eyes as he whispered. "You said you loved me."

Derek felt his heart kick into gear and shrugged, saying nothing.

"I know I was delirious and dying and all the rest of it, but I know that you meant it."

Derek couldn't look at him but he felt him scoot closer.

"If being with you means I'm going to be put in danger more often, then I don't care. I want to be with you Derek." He took his hand and brushed it against the side of Derek's cheek to turn his face towards him.

Their touch was like a jolt of electricity, a spark flowing between them that hadn't been there before. Something had changed and they could both feel it, but only Derek truly knew what it was.

Stiles let his thumb stroke his chiselled cheekbones and looked into his eyes, searching for any hope that they could piece themselves back together again.

"I love you Derek, and I know that you love me too." Derek just turned his face away slightly and Stiles swallowed hard.

As he let his hand slip from Derek's cheek he felt his hand take him gently by the wrist and pull it back. He looked up and back into his eyes, so vulnerable and destitute. Stiles let out a shaky breath as he leant in close and brushed their lips together as lightly as a feather.

Derek's hand ran up the length of his arm until it was cupping his face and pulling them together for a kiss that was long overdue. It felt like they had never kissed before, it felt like sunshine in the summer, to Stiles it was like he had been missing something for as long as he could remember and was only just realising what it was.

Derek knew that with that kiss he wouldn't be able to stop.

Deaton was right, the bond had been sealed and he could feel it now. He could feel the connection between them and he knew that he had been wrong to deny it.

How could he have let himself think that leaving Stiles was best for either of them? Stiles was right, about all of it.

Derek let his other hand find Stiles' waist and pulled him towards him. Stiles dropped his hand from Derek's cheek and let his arms engulf his body in an embrace that had them heart to heart, the pounding of each one indistinguishable from the other.

Slowly they stood, never parting from one another as Derek pulled him back down over him, lying in the sheets. Stiles pulled his lips away briefly, looking down at Derek adoringly. Leaning on his good wrist and elbow, he smiled faintly and Derek reached up to caress his face.

"I'm sorry." He murmured.

Stiles' smile grew. "You should be."

Derek's lips twitched and his hands held Stiles by the waist, sliding under his shirt and gently moving up and down over his skin, just his fingertips touching him.

Stiles sighed, he had missed this. His touch, his lips, the look he gives him just after their kiss, all of it. Derek tentatively lifted his shirt and Stiles let him pull it over his head and throw it to the floor.

"I mean it Stiles, I shouldn't have left you like I did." He said guiltily and Stiles shook his head, fingers gently running through Derek's hair.

"I don't care about any of that any more, if you're here, and here to stay… then whatever happened doesn't matter."

Derek just looked up before rolling them over, pressing his body down and kissing his lips lightly. "I just couldn't let you… I don't know what I would do if… if something happened to you." He murmured.

"Well I kind of get into trouble without you anyway." He smiled and Derek narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe you could try to stop that." He rubbed his nose against Stiles'.

"Only if you promise you're not going to be a jerk and leave again." He grinned, giving Derek's shirt a little tug.

He let him pull the shirt over his head and to the floor and gently stroked his shoulder blades. Derek just leant down and nuzzled his neck, whispering softly. "I'm not leaving you Stiles."

"Give me a promise then."

"Would I lie to you?" He left a trail of kisses up his jaw and into the soft spot behind his ear.

"Maybe I just want to hear you say it." Stiles said, closing his eyes as he savoured every touch for the first time in weeks.

"I promise Stiles, I'm staying." He looked up at him and kissed him on the mouth.

Stiles didn't let him pull away, his hands slipped down to Derek's hips and pulled them down. Derek started laughing against his lips.

"Really? This is the first thing you want to do?" He chuckled.

"What can I say? I've missed you." Stiles said.

Derek shook his head and sighed, a smile touching his lips. He looked down at the fragile human that he never ever thought he could feel anything for, now, he couldn't imagine being without him. He sighed and kissed him tenderly, pulling away only to whisper to him. "I love you Stiles."

Before he could answer his lips were under duress from Derek's. He parted his lips to let Derek's tongue pass through and they tangled together passionately. He had finally heard it, drug free and poison free, just heart to heart and exactly the way he wanted it.

Derek rolled them over again and Stiles straddled his hips kissing him even more deeply than before and Derek let out a groan low in his throat. Stiles let his lips wander down his neck, his fingers locking onto the line of Derek's jeans.

"Would you like a hand there?" Derek smiled and Stiles gave him a cocky grin.

"I would love one but let's focus on you first shall we?"

Derek laughed and shook his head as he reached down to unbuckle his belt. "I've missed you."

"You're just saying that…" Stiles said as he ground his palm into the stiffening mound in Derek's boxers, causing him to close his eyes and wet his lips with his tongue.

"Aren't you usually the one who wants to talk while I… _oh_… while I distract you?" He smirked a little.

"I just think that we have time to talk… I've already heard exactly what I wanted to hear you say." Stiles said softly.

"You're all take tonight aren't you?" Derek sat up a little to kiss him again.

"I'm just glad you're back and I want to make up for all that time you made me lose." Stiles pushed him back down and Derek just smiled.

He pulled Stiles down to kiss him again and pulled his hand away from his belt. "You've got plenty of time for that later." He mumbled.

"You want me to stop?" Stiles asked.

"For now." Derek said, stroking his arm.

Stiles lay back down next to him and Derek rolled onto his side to face him. He could smell the arousal coming off him and smiled.

"You really did miss me didn't you?" He chuckled to himself and Stiles punched him in the arm. "What was that for?"

"For leaving you jerk, and then laughing about it." He said.

"I'm not laughing about it."

"You're laughing at _me_."

"Am I not allowed to be happy?" Derek asked.

Stiles felt his cheeks flush. "Something's different about you, I don't know what." He said softly.

Derek knew exactly what it was, he felt himself change the minute they touched. The bond was stronger, it was something far more than just physicality and need. He was finally willing to admit that this was more than a trigger, this was so much more and now, Stiles knew it too.

He leant in to kiss him and Stiles just closed his eyes to soak it in. As Derek pulled away he bit down on his lip and sighed, a growl only slightly escaping his lips.

"Fuck it." He said and slammed his lips against Stiles'.

His body was on fire as Derek reached for him with a need that was unrestrained and uncontrollable. His tongue slipped behind Stiles' teeth and Stiles swung his leg over Derek's hips to bestride him. Their ragged breaths joined together to almost form one as Stiles reached down to shakily tug at Derek's belt.

Derek did the same and soon enough they were each struggling to kick off their jeans and press their bodies together like their time was almost up. Stiles lay over Derek and gave a slow grind of his hips.

With a sharp intake of breath Derek whispered his name and sent shivers down his spine.

"_Stiles…_"

He clapped a hand to his cheek and just stared down into his slowly reddening eyes. "_God… I love you_." He panted and Derek took his hips and held them against him.

"If you say that one more time, you're going to wear it out." Derek breathed as he rocked him back and forth.

Stiles grinned, his lips brushing against Derek's. "I love you." He said again, slowly this time and Derek smiled.

"Okay, maybe I was wrong." He said before leaving a lingering kiss on Stiles' beaming lips.

The two of them lay together in a post-sex daze for hours, just happy to be finally back to one another. Stiles knew that he would be reluctant to let Derek out of his sight but for now Derek wasn't quite ready to let go of him either.

Stiles had a thought and a grin crept up onto his face. "So… does _this_ mean that I'm your boyfriend now?"

Derek rolled his eyes and chuckled. "You know… I haven't missed _everything_ about you."

"Oh come on, I know that's a lie." He smiled. "Actually, my mouth might frustrate you, but come on; you've got to love my quick wit."

"Your mouth, I can handle." He tilted up Stiles' chin for a peck on the lips.

"I should have figured you'd say that."

Derek sighed before slipping out from under Stiles' arm.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Derek looked back at him as he sat on the edge of the bed. "To get a glass of water, is that allowed?"

"Oh don't start. Don't make me out to be this clingy little teenager already." Stiles grumbled and Derek shook his head.

"I'm coming back." He smiled.

"You can get water in the morning." Stiles said before he heard his phone ringing from the pocket of his strewn away jeans.

"Maybe you should get that while I go downstairs and get some water." Derek said as he loosely pulled on his own jeans and headed out the door.

"I'm getting it… it's been what, three hours, and you're already back to being a sour wolf." He muttered the last part as he searched for his jeans on the floor.

"I heard that Stiles!" Derek called from downstairs.

"Damn him and his werewolf hearing." He said as he found his phone and pressed the call button. "Hello?"

"Hi Stiles, where are you?" His father's voice came through the line and Stiles forgot that he hadn't told him what he was doing, mainly because he didn't know it was going to happen until the moment it happened.

"Oh, hey dad, sorry I completely forgot to text you. I'm uh… I'm at Derek's place." He said.

"Derek's place? I thought there was something going on there?"

"Well we settled our differences you could say."

"I don't want to know."

"No! Dad I didn't – never mind. Sorry I didn't let you know where I was going it just kind of happened." He said.

"It's fine son. What I really want to know is why I ate dinner and watched the game with two teenagers… who are still here by the way."

Stiles thought about it for a second before it clicked. "Oh, are they still there?"

"Yeah Stiles, they're still here, and they want to know what we're going do the rest of the night." Stiles couldn't help but grin to himself. As he tried to supress his laughter his father heard him and chuckled back. "Yes, I know it's an odd situation but I know these kids don't really have anywhere they want to go so what the hell am I supposed to do with them?"

He finally let out a real laugh. "Send them over here, we'll figure it out."

"I don't even think they have a car…"

"Don't worry dad I'm sure Jackson will pick them up from somewhere."

"Alright, well I'll see you tomorrow son. Make sure you tell Derek that I'll be after him if he puts a foot wrong." Stiles smiled.

"Yeah dad, I will."

They hung up and he laughed to himself before pulling on his jeans and grabbing his shirt.

Derek walked into the room as he was pulling it over his head. "Where are _you_ going?" He asked.

"Well… nowhere. Actually… I may have just invited Erica and Isaac over here. And you know that means that the rest of them will be here too…"

Derek let out a loud groan. "Seriously? And you all question why I left for so long."

"You secretly love it though."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "I will never have a quiet moment again."

"Oh come on." Stiles smiled.

"How long until they get here?"

Stiles shrugged. "I don't know, maybe a half hour."

Derek's lips twisted into a smile. "Good." He dropped to his knees and began to unbuckle Stiles' jeans and Stiles laughed.

"You never quit do you?"

"When it comes to you? Not anymore."

Stiles smiled, his heart warming at Derek smiling up at him.

"Well then by all means, continue."

Derek laughed, his hot breath tickling Stiles' hip as he kissed him softly, absolutely elated to have him back and knowing that he won't let him slip away so easily again.


	29. Chapter 29

The rest of the pack showed up very shortly after. Stiles felt like he was ready to sleep and he very nearly did, except Derek dragged him downstairs and forced him to be there.

Erica and Isaac arrived with Scott in tow, who proceeded to give Derek a good piece of his mind. Isaac tried to calm him and when Boyd showed up they both managed to stop the yelling.

Derek remained collected the whole time, just waiting for his yelling to stop. He knew that it made him feel better to get it out and he didn't blame him for yelling. In fact it would have been strange if he didn't.

When all of the noise had finally subsided Boyd gave Derek a nod and reached out to shake his hand, a man of few words. Erica gave him a punch in the arm before shooting him a grin.

"No hard feelings about the kiss right?" She said and Derek narrowed his eyes.

"What kiss?" He said.

"Yeah, what kiss?" Scott said and Isaac looked from Erica to Stiles.

"Don't even look at me." He said with an amused grin.

"Uh… funny story." Stiles said with pink flushing cheeks.

"Hey, it worked wonders didn't it?" Erica said, folding her arms. "Besides, you were gone."

"Derek… I… well I mean…" Stiles fumbled.

Derek walked over to him and grabbed him by the shirt, kissing him roughly before shoving him back. "We're fine." He said, shooting Erica a satisfied grin and she shook her head.

Scott rolled his eyes but Isaac just smiled.

Not long after Jackson showed up with Lydia and Allison. Lydia had a pretty smart mouth on her but Jackson shrugged it off.

"I'd leave too if we didn't have senior year coming up."

"What do you care? You're a werewolf." Lydia said.

"He just doesn't want to say that he's staying for you." Boyd gave Jackson a cheesy grin and he growled.

"Please, I don't think any of these guys would admit that in front of anyone else. Not even Isaac." Erica said, grinning over at him.

"Hey!" Isaac said with an insulted look on his face and Scott's cheeks almost seemed to flush.

"Sometimes you don't need to say it out loud." Allison shrugged with a side glance at Derek who rolled his eyes.

They all knew the reason he was back.

"So, are we celebrating or are we standing around trying not to say the things that we're _all obviously_ thinking?" Jackson said sarcastically.

"I know where he keeps his booze." Isaac smiled.

"Hey, paws off." Derek said, heading into the kitchen to find something that he wouldn't mind them drinking.

While most of them used his return to the pack as an excuse to drink and celebrate, Stiles just wanted to be with him. When and where didn't even matter, he was happy just watching him argue with Scott from across the room.

Isaac came to sit next to him with a glass of low-grade whiskey in his hand and leant back casually.

"Are you comfortable?" Stiles said.

"I'm not too bad." He said, watching Derek and Scott just the same as Stiles had been moments earlier.

"You know you're drooling, right? Haven't you had enough of that over the last two weeks?" Stiles turned to face him.

Isaac shook his head. "Not in the slightest." He had a hungry look in his eyes that suddenly made Stiles feel a little uncomfortable.

"Okay… well maybe you could do it in your own time. You know, I'd hate to walk in on it again." Isaac chuckled and looked at him.

"Maybe you should knock next time."

"Yeah? Yeah, maybe I should."

They laughed and Derek walked over to the two of them. He looked down at Stiles and tweaked his head to the side.

"I'm being beckoned." Stiles grinned and Derek shook his head.

"Shut up and come with me." He grabbed him by the hand and Stiles wasn't about to argue with him.

"Turn the music up won't you?" He called back to Isaac and Derek just pulled him along faster, heading up the stairs.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"It was hard being away from the pack but I've had enough dealing with Scott for one night, you're the one I really want to see." He pulled him into his arms and swayed him side to side slowly.

Stiles rolled his eyes playfully. "Well maybe you shouldn't have left for two weeks without a word."

"You're never going to let me forget that are you?"

"Hey, you are going to do a _lot _of grovelling to get me to forgive you completely."

"I said I'm sorry and if you don't recall I believe I got on my knees more than once already." He said, nipping at Stiles' neck.

"Yeah well don't expect that to change." He said, closing his eyes as Derek's tongue slipped from his neck to his collarbone.

Derek laughed and pushed him back, gently holding him against the wall. "I don't." He whispered. "If you want you can make me your slave until you forgive me."

"You know that is tempting, but what would I call you? My slave? It just doesn't quite have that ring to it." Stiles said and Derek looked up at him, their noses only just touching.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "You can call me your boyfriend if that'll make you happy." He grumbled.

"I think that would give you a better chance of forgiveness." Stiles smiled.

"Well I guess that's settled then." He kissed him lightly on the mouth and tightened his arms around him.

For so long he thought that he would never find someone that he could be with. Derek had thought that the teenager with so much hope and such a bright future had died with Paige, died in the fire, any hope of regaining a normal life, a normal love had diminished in all of the years he had spent away with Laura. He wanted to be so much more than he was; his pack wasn't complete until he found his trigger. Such a silly little thing to start off with but somehow it grew into something stronger than anything he had ever felt.

And all it took was one seemingly insignificant human to change him into the man he thought he had lost, and the man that he wanted to find.

"But I swear to god Stiles, if you give me another one of your pet names I'll rip your throat out… with my teeth." He said in a huff.

"Hey, don't be such a sour wolf." Stiles said, and was silenced with the fiery heat of Derek's lips against his and finally everything seemed to fit.

**_END._**

A/N: Thank you so much for reading guys. There WILL be a sequel to this story and I'm thinking Scisaac sequel (more like 50/50 Sterek Scisaac) and I'll post a link to it in a separate chapter when I get around to writing it! I'm hoping for a few weeks in between and then it will be up! I really appreciate all of your reads and I hoped you loved reading as much as I loved writing it! xo


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